Just under 39.2 million people used Irish airports in 2023, the highest number of passengers recorded since the series began in 2013.
Almost 6.7 million or 20% more passengers used Irish airports in 2023 compared with 2022, which was 1.1 million (3%) more passengers than pre-pandemic 2019 figures.
Passenger numbers in Q4 2023 were 9% higher when compared with Q4 2022 and 6% higher than Q4 2019 figures.
The number of flights to and from Irish airports rose by 16% when compared with 2022 figures.
Almost 274,000 flights were handled by Ireland's five main airports in 2023, with Dublin handling 84% of all flights (229,756), while Cork handled 7% of all flights (19,777).
London-Heathrow, London-Gatwick, and Amsterdam-Schiphol were the most popular routes for passengers travelling through Dublin airport in 2023. The top route for Cork and Shannon airports was London-Heathrow, for Knock airport it was London-Stansted, and for Kerry airport it was Dublin.
Air freight handled by Irish airports in 2023 was up by 6% compared with 2022.
Figure 1 gives the passenger numbers from 2016 to 2023. Figures 2 and 3 show the percentage distribution of passengers handled in 2023 and 2019. Table 1 gives data on passenger numbers for Quarter 4 and Year, 2019 to 2023. Detailed data on arrivals and departures of passengers, freight and flights can be seen in Tables 2 to 10.
| X-axis label | Year |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 32.7 |
| 2017 | 34.4 |
| 2018 | 36.5 |
| 2019 | 38.1 |
| 2020 | 8.3 |
| 2021 | 9.1 |
| 2022 | 32.5 |
| 2023 | 39.2 |
| Passenger number distribution by airport, 2023 | |
| Dublin | 85 |
| Cork | 7 |
| Shannon | 5 |
| Other | 3 |
| Passenger number distribution by airport, 2019 | |
| Dublin | 86 |
| Cork | 7 |
| Shannon | 4 |
| Other | 4 |
Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (18 April 2024) published Aviation Statistics for Quarter 4 (Q4) and Year 2023. Passenger numbers were received for the five main airports: Dublin, Cork, Shannon, Knock, and Kerry.
Commenting on the release, Damien Lenihan, Statistician in the Agriculture, Transport & Tourism Division, said: “The figures show a significant increase in international travel during 2023. In fact, 2023 was a record year in terms of the number of passengers using Irish airports since the series began 10 years ago, with 39.2 million people travelling through at least one of the five main airports in the country.
Data shows that passengers travelling to and from Ireland were up by one-fifth (20%) compared with 2022.
Almost 3.3 million more passengers travelled to Ireland in 2023 when compared with 2022, and this was almost 600,000 more when compared with the same period in 2019.
In 2023, 19.6 million passengers departed from Ireland, which was 3.4 million more than the same period in 2022, and half a million more passengers when compared with 2019.
In October, November, and December (Q4) 2023, 9.0 million passengers passed through Irish airports, which was 781,000 more passengers when compared with the same period in 2022 and 479,000 more than the same period in 2019.
Airports and Routes
Almost 274,000 flights were handled by Ireland's five main airports in 2023, with Dublin handling 84% of all flights (229,756), while Cork accounted for 7% of all flights (19,777). The number of flights in 2023 increased by 16% when compared with 2022.
London-Heathrow, London-Gatwick, and Amsterdam-Schiphol were the most popular routes for passengers travelling through Dublin airport in 2023 The top route for Cork and Shannon airports was London-Heathrow, for Knock airport it was London-Stansted, and for Kerry airport it was Dublin.”