Rugby boosts September figures at Cork Airport with October expected to be 'another busy month'

A total of 260,000 passengers travelled to and from Cork Airport in September.

Cork Airport experienced a busy September, as thousands of passengers from the South of Ireland continued to flock to sunnier climes — with very strong load factors on routes to Spain, Portugal, as well as the Canary Islands, and Italy.

This figure is 12% higher than in the same month in 2022, according to airport operator daa.

“In September, passengers from across Munster and the South of Ireland continued to enjoy a superb airport experience and a great choice of routes from Cork Airport,” daa CEO Kenny Jacobs said.

Fans who headed to France for the Rugby World Cup contributed to another great month in terms of passenger traffic, which was 12% higher compared with September 2022.

From the beginning of September, large numbers of Irish rugby fans set off for France from Cork Airport, to Bordeaux, La Rochelle and Paris as Rugby World Cup fever began to take hold.

Aer Lingus commenced a direct service to Paris Charles de Gaulle to cater for the Rugby World Cup traffic and Air France increased capacity and frequency on their services to Paris.

“I have no doubt that October will be another busy month for Cork Airport as some new routes like Barcelona, Paris Beauvais and Fuerteventura come on stream.

“Towards the end of the month, thousands will jet into Cork for the annual Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, a highlight of the Cork event calendar with Cork Airport as a proud festival partner,” added Kenny Jacobs.

Passengers flying from Munster’s busiest airport enjoyed a swift, efficient security screening process in September, where 99.9% of passengers cleared security in 20 minutes or less.

In September, Cork Airport was also listed as the “Best Performing Commercial Semi-State Body” for energy reduction by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) for the second year running.

This accolade is a result of significant retrofitting of lighting systems, replacement of diesel vehicles with electric equivalents and an enhanced management of lighting and heating in the terminal building.