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Aviation Statistics Quarter 2 2022

Passenger numbers were 15 times higher in April, May, and June (Q2) 2022 than Q2 2021 but still 13% lower than that same period in 2019

Online ISSN: 2009-7581
CSO statistical publication, , 11am

Key Findings

  • More than 8.5 million more passengers used Irish airports in Q2 2022 compared with Q2 2021.

  • In Q2 2022, 9.1 million passengers passed through the five main Irish airports, more than 15 times higher than the same period in 2021, but still 13% lower when compared with the same period in 2019.

  • More than 13.8 million passengers passed through the main Irish airports in the first half of 2022, which was more than 12.8 million more passengers than those using the airports in the first half of 2021.

  • Number of flights to and from Irish airports in Q2 2022 increased by more than 54,500 compared with the same period in 2021 but are still 11% lower than the same period in 2019.

  • Slightly more than 66,000 flights were handled by Ireland's five main airports in Q2 2022, with Dublin handling 84% of all flights (55,479), while Cork handled 7% of all flights (4,822).

  • London-Heathrow, London-Gatwick, and Amsterdam-Schiphol were the most popular routes for passengers travelling through Dublin airport in Q2 2022. The top route for Cork and Shannon was London-Heathrow, while the biggest route for Knock and Kerry was London-Luton.

  • Air freight handled by Irish airports in Q2 2022 was down by 4% compared with Q2 2021.

Statistician's Comment

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (16 September 2022) published Aviation Statistics for Quarter 2 2022. Passenger numbers are received for the five main airports: Dublin, Cork, Shannon, Knock, and Kerry.

Commenting on the release, Dr Nele van der Wielen, Statistician, said: “The figures show an increase in international travel during April, May, and June (Q2) 2022. However, data shows that passengers travelling to and from Ireland are still down by 13% compared with Q2 2019.

More than 4.2 million more passengers travelled to Ireland in Q2 2022 when compared with Q2 2021, but this is 0.6 million fewer passengers when compared with the same period in 2019.

In Q2 2022, 4.6 million passengers departed from Ireland, which was 4.3 million more than the same period in 2021, but still fewer by 0.7 million people when compared with Q2 2019.

In the first half of 2022, more than 13.8 million passengers passed through Irish airports which was 12.8 million more passengers when compared with the same period in 2021, but 4.1 million fewer than the same period in 2019."

Tables and Graphs

Figure 1 shows data on passenger numbers by Quarter 2 2017 to 2022 while Figure 2 shows data on passenger numbers by April, May and June 2019 to 2022. Whiile passenger numbers are increasing, the graphs show that they are not yet back to 2019 levels.

Table 1 Number of passengers handled by main Irish airports, Quarter 2 2019-2022

Figure 1 Passenger numbers handled by main Irish airports
Table 2 Number of passengers handled by main airports, Quarter 2 2019-2022

Figure 2 Passenger numbers handled by main Irish airports
Table 3 Passenger numbers classified by arrivals and departures handled by main airports

Table 4 Number of flights classified by arrivals and departures handled by main airports, Quarter 2 2022

Table 5A Top 10 arrivals and departures for Dublin airport by number of passengers, Quarter 2 2022

Table 5B Top 10 arrivals and departures for Cork airport by number of passengers, Quarter 2 2022

Table 5C Top 10 arrivals and departures for Shannon airport by number of passengers, Quarter 2 2022

Table 5D Top 10 arrivals and departures for Knock airport by number of passengers, Quarter 2 2022

Table 5E Top 5 arrivals and departures for Kerry airport by number of passengers, Quarter 2 2022

Table 6 Number of passengers classified by country of flight stage origin and destination handled by main airports, Quarter 2 2022

Table 7 Air freight classified by national and international traffic handled by main airports, Quarter 2 2022

Table 8 Air freight classified by arrivals and departures handled by main airports, Quarter 2 2022

Table 9 Seasonally adjusted number of passengers handled by main airports