30,000 people to pass through Cork Airport this Bank Holiday weekend

Cork Airport expects to welcome 30,000 passengers over the St Brigid’s Bank Holiday weekend, a 22% increase on passenger traffic for the same bank holiday in 2023.

A Cork Airport spokesperson said that hundreds of Irish fans expected to jet off to Marseille this Friday for the first of Ireland’s away games in the Six Nations Championship, either directly or through connecting hubs at London Heathrow and Amsterdam.

They said that the St Brigid’s bank holiday also provides an opportunity for passengers from across Munster and south Leinster to escape to warmer climates, with significant demand in January for services to Spain, Portugal, and the Canary Islands.

Ski destinations have also seen a spike in popularity, with direct connections to Munich, Lyon, and Salzburg proving favourable with passengers heading for the slopes.

Commenting ahead of the busy weekend, Cork Airport’s managing director Niall MacCarthy said: 

“At this time of year, with the dark evenings, we all like to countdown to our next sun break. With lots of routes to choose from and more coming this summer, we invite people to choose the ease, convenience, and friendliness of Cork Airport and count the days to your next getaway, starting from Cork.”

The airport has advised passengers to arrive 90 minutes before their scheduled flight departure time, with advance booking of car parking also recommended.

Last year, 2.8m passengers travelled through Cork Airport making it the busiest year for international passenger traffic in Cork Airport’s 62-year history.

The figures represented a 25% increase on 2022 levels with daa CEO Kenny Jacobs saying that the strong performing European hub routes, London Heathrow, Amsterdam, and Paris Charles de Gaulle were some of the main drivers of growth in 2023.