This chapter presents information on the transport sector of the Irish economy. The tables cover the licensing of new vehicles by taxation class and by local authority, key indicators for goods carried by road, goods handled by Irish ports, and the volume of passengers and freight passing through Irish airports.
| Table 21.1 New motor vehicles licensed for the first time by taxation class | |||||||||
| Number | |||||||||
| Taxation Class | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | |
| Private cars | 84,907 | 86,932 | 76,256 | 71,348 | 92,361 | 121,110 | 141,931 | 127,045 | |
| Goods vehicles | 10,510 | 11,188 | 10,855 | 11,024 | 16,254 | 22,939 | 28,051 | 24,101 | |
| Tractors | 1,359 | 1,731 | 1,996 | 4,403 | 2,186 | 1,986 | 1,934 | 1,810 | |
| Motor cycles | 1,321 | 1,102 | 955 | 878 | 960 | 1,244 | 1,546 | 1,431 | |
| Exempt vehicles | 4,207 | 4,014 | 3,930 | 3,955 | 4,762 | 5,234 | 6,207 | 5,854 | |
| Public service vehicles | 306 | 297 | 531 | 378 | 517 | 761 | 957 | 942 | |
| Small | 193 | 195 | 275 | 160 | 237 | 343 | 500 | 505 | |
| Large | 113 | 102 | 256 | 218 | 280 | 418 | 457 | 437 | |
| Machines or Contrivances | 222 | 294 | 409 | 606 | 399 | 409 | 444 | 424 | |
| Other classes | 244 | 203 | 161 | 295 | 213 | 167 | 223 | 233 | |
| Total | 103,076 | 105,761 | 95,093 | 92,887 | 117,652 | 153,850 | 181,293 | 161,840 | |
| Source: CSO | |||||||||
Interactive table: StatBank link
There were 127,045 new private cars licensed in 2017, a decrease of 10.5% compared with 2016. In total, there were 161,840 new vehicles licensed during 2017, a decrease of 10.7% compared with 2016.
| Table 21.2 New vehicles licensed for the first time by licensing authority | ||||||||
| Number | ||||||||
| Licensing authority | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
| Carlow | 1,371 | 1,357 | 1,149 | 1,152 | 1,461 | 1,828 | 2,212 | 1,925 |
| Cavan | 1,285 | 1,315 | 1,153 | 1,112 | 1,405 | 1,927 | 2,296 | 2,407 |
| Clare | 2,356 | 2,377 | 1,869 | 1,795 | 2,431 | 3,305 | 3,730 | 3,298 |
| Cork | 14,544 | 14,385 | 11,141 | 10,706 | 13,794 | 18,964 | 22,571 | 19,509 |
| Donegal | 2,909 | 2,515 | 2,193 | 2,051 | 2,723 | 3,643 | 4,282 | 3,499 |
| Dublin | 30,997 | 34,501 | 34,268 | 33,668 | 42,048 | 54,021 | 62,870 | 58,265 |
| Galway | 4,560 | 4,571 | 3,701 | 3,670 | 4,493 | 6,481 | 7,298 | 6,273 |
| Kerry | 2,705 | 2,508 | 2,193 | 1,953 | 2,554 | 3,420 | 4,218 | 3,651 |
| Kildare | 4,152 | 4,267 | 3,693 | 3,767 | 4,927 | 6,503 | 7,807 | 6,860 |
| Kilkenny | 2,072 | 2,143 | 1,864 | 1,825 | 2,213 | 2,923 | 3,495 | 2,869 |
| Laois | 1,408 | 1,416 | 1,131 | 1,192 | 1,399 | 1,826 | 2,193 | 2,009 |
| Leitrim | 529 | 542 | 450 | 445 | 521 | 740 | 893 | 729 |
| Limerick | 4,495 | 4,873 | 3,713 | 3,371 | 4,496 | 5,663 | 6,944 | 5,927 |
| Longford | 677 | 723 | 602 | 552 | 655 | 858 | 1,031 | 908 |
| Louth | 2,562 | 2,469 | 2,067 | 1,824 | 2,568 | 3,393 | 3,932 | 3,368 |
| Mayo | 2,293 | 2,195 | 1,961 | 1,929 | 2,311 | 3,085 | 3,659 | 3,106 |
| Meath | 3,584 | 3,398 | 2,933 | 2,854 | 3,682 | 5,006 | 6,290 | 5,239 |
| Monaghan | 1,138 | 1,110 | 979 | 947 | 1,116 | 1,525 | 1,838 | 1,549 |
| Offaly | 1,417 | 1,303 | 1,223 | 1,227 | 1,485 | 1,939 | 2,400 | 2,007 |
| Roscommon | 2,142 | 2,369 | 3,203 | 3,717 | 4,253 | 4,877 | 5,039 | 5,100 |
| Sligo | 1,280 | 1,246 | 1,063 | 984 | 1,220 | 1,572 | 1,825 | 1,581 |
| Tipperary | 3,388 | 3,334 | 3,003 | 2,782 | 3,481 | 4,407 | 5,217 | 4,495 |
| Waterford | 2,985 | 3,029 | 2,801 | 2,530 | 3,636 | 4,457 | 5,231 | 5,283 |
| Westmeath | 2,041 | 1,842 | 1,689 | 1,729 | 2,084 | 2,595 | 3,771 | 2,654 |
| Wexford | 3,636 | 3,657 | 3,031 | 3,172 | 4,133 | 5,379 | 6,130 | 5,706 |
| Wicklow | 2,550 | 2,316 | 2,020 | 1,933 | 2,563 | 3,513 | 4,121 | 3,623 |
| Total | 103,076 | 105,761 | 95,093 | 92,887 | 117,652 | 153,850 | 181,293 | 161,840 |
| Source: CSO | ||||||||
Interactive tables: StatBank link
In 2017, Dublin (58,265) and Cork (19,509) licensing authorities accounted for almost half (48.1%) of all new vehicles licensed for the first time.
| Table 21.3 Number of new private cars licensed for the first time by make | ||||||||
| Make | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
| Audi | 2,794 | 3,331 | 3,624 | 3,554 | 4,157 | 5,062 | 5,841 | 5,351 |
| BMW | 2,564 | 3,318 | 3,315 | 3,414 | 3,859 | 4,651 | 5,280 | 4,487 |
| Citroen | 1,072 | 1,251 | 1,158 | 1,187 | 1,330 | 1,880 | 1,437 | 1,429 |
| Dacia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,239 | 2,536 | 3,660 | 4,326 | 3,464 |
| Fiat | 1,576 | 901 | 611 | 531 | 625 | 670 | 737 | 779 |
| Ford | 10,650 | 10,108 | 8,014 | 7,032 | 9,040 | 11,823 | 14,092 | 11,660 |
| Honda | 1,135 | 951 | 1,051 | 948 | 1,287 | 1,416 | 1,496 | 1,244 |
| Hyundai | 2,843 | 3,779 | 4,942 | 5,548 | 7,410 | 10,743 | 14,630 | 11,127 |
| Jaguar | 213 | 126 | 199 | 150 | 189 | 262 | 541 | 639 |
| Kia | 2,510 | 2,588 | 2,992 | 3,151 | 4,062 | 5,288 | 6,425 | 6,812 |
| Land Rover | 220 | 448 | 788 | 786 | 770 | 924 | 1,276 | 1,154 |
| Lexus | 303 | 410 | 257 | 185 | 343 | 494 | 584 | 429 |
| Mazda | 2,248 | 1,753 | 1,370 | 1,359 | 1,764 | 2,173 | 2,911 | 2,585 |
| Mercedes Benz | 2,115 | 1,866 | 1,773 | 1,383 | 1,963 | 2,525 | 3,622 | 4,619 |
| Mini | 374 | 422 | 444 | 466 | 477 | 654 | 758 | 596 |
| Mitsubishi | 825 | 523 | 334 | 470 | 577 | 877 | 929 | 647 |
| Nissan | 5,295 | 6,556 | 5,802 | 5,034 | 6,691 | 10,843 | 11,503 | 9,954 |
| Opel | 6,444 | 6,301 | 5,019 | 4,721 | 6,156 | 7,326 | 7,883 | 6,474 |
| Peugeot | 2,889 | 2,722 | 2,201 | 2,111 | 2,804 | 3,449 | 4,053 | 3,797 |
| Renault | 9,632 | 8,478 | 5,142 | 3,356 | 4,821 | 6,110 | 8,371 | 8,382 |
| Seat | 1,601 | 1,728 | 1,260 | 2,158 | 2,334 | 2,514 | 2,622 | 3,345 |
| Skoda | 4,667 | 4,457 | 4,662 | 4,593 | 6,005 | 7,427 | 9,067 | 8,613 |
| Ssangyong | 23 | 1 | 1 | 35 | 89 | 88 | 194 | 96 |
| Subaru | 218 | 201 | 124 | 91 | 135 | 185 | 155 | 158 |
| Suzuki | 650 | 604 | 608 | 561 | 617 | 865 | 1,218 | 1,303 |
| Toyota | 10,434 | 11,065 | 9,414 | 7,180 | 9,658 | 12,409 | 14,728 | 12,207 |
| Volkswagen | 9,987 | 11,007 | 9,782 | 9,098 | 11,329 | 15,016 | 15,094 | 13,609 |
| Volvo | 932 | 1,233 | 1,118 | 856 | 1,175 | 1,515 | 1,921 | 1,785 |
| Other | 693 | 804 | 251 | 151 | 158 | 261 | 237 | 300 |
| Total | 84,907 | 86,932 | 76,256 | 71,348 | 92,361 | 121,110 | 141,931 | 127,045 |
| Source: CSO | ||||||||
Interactive table: StatBank link
Volkswagen (13,609) was the most popular make of new private cars licensed in 2017, followed by Toyota (12,207), Ford (11,660), Hyundai (11,127) and Nissan (9,954). Together these five makes represented almost half (46.1%) of all new private cars licensed.
In 2010, the top make was Ford (10,650), followed by Toyota (10,434), Volkswagen (9,987), Renault (9,632) and Opel (6,444). These five makes represented more than half (55.5%) of all new private cars licensed in 2010.
See Irelands Top Motors for make and model distribution.
| Most popular makes of new cars 2017 | |
| Volkswagen | 10.7 |
| Toyota | 9.6 |
| Ford | 9.2 |
| Hyundai | 8.8 |
| Nissan | 7.8 |
| Other | 53.9 |
| Most popular makes of new cars 2010 | |
| Ford | 12.5 |
| Toyota | 12.3 |
| Volkswagen | 11.8 |
| Renault | 11.3 |
| Opel | 7.6 |
| Other | 44.5 |
| Table 21.4 Key indicators for transport of goods by road | ||||||||
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | |
| Tonnes carried (thousand) | 125,865 | 110,260 | 108,078 | 108,831 | 112,499 | 118,059 | 141,669 | 147,229 |
| Tonne-kilometres (million) | 10,924 | 9,941 | 9,895 | 9,138 | 9,772 | 9,844 | 11,564 | 11,759 |
| Vehicle kilometres (million) | 1,457 | 1,338 | 1,316 | 1,261 | 1,307 | 1,302 | 1,558 | 1,592 |
| Average number of vehicles | 84,025 | 81,178 | 79,971 | 76,967 | 83,650 | 87,094 | 98,656 | 108,479 |
| Laden journeys (thousand) | 11,177 | 10,168 | 10,057 | 9,925 | 10,094 | 10,279 | 12,090 | 12,827 |
| Source: CSO | ||||||||
Interactive table: StatBank link
Irish registered goods vehicles carried 147.2 million tonnes of goods on 12.8 million laden journeys in 2017 and the amount of freight activity, as measured by tonne-kilometers, was 11.8 billion.
The average number of registered goods vehicles in the State was estimated at 108,479 in 2017 and the fleet travelled a total of 1.6 billion kilometers.
| Tonnes carried (million) | |
| 2010 | 125.9 |
| 2011 | 110.3 |
| 2012 | 108.1 |
| 2013 | 108.8 |
| 2014 | 112.5 |
| 2015 | 118.1 |
| 2016 | 141.7 |
| 2017 | 147.2 |
| Table 21.5 Statistics of port traffic - number of vessel arrivals, tonnage of goods handled by type of cargo and area of trade | ||||||||
| Category of traffic | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
| Number of vessels by type1 | ||||||||
| Liquid bulk | 1,349 | 1,138 | 1,060 | 1,031 | 998 | 1,043 | 1,137 | 1,054 |
| Dry bulk | 1,143 | 1,088 | 1,144 | 766 | 585 | 586 | 866 | 789 |
| Container | 1,678 | 1,418 | 1,403 | 1,262 | 1,205 | 1,204 | 1,240 | 1,240 |
| Specialised | 85 | 105 | 113 | 99 | 121 | 200 | 189 | 210 |
| General | 8,813 | 8,012 | 7,897 | 8,564 | 9,128 | 9,021 | 9,248 | 9,271 |
| Passenger | 243 | 298 | 193 | 235 | 195 | 217 | 223 | 265 |
| Total number of vessels | 13,311 | 12,059 | 11,810 | 11,957 | 12,232 | 12,271 | 12,903 | 12,829 |
| Tonnage of goods by type of cargo ('000) | ||||||||
| Roll-on/roll-off traffic | 12,256 | 12,066 | 11,609 | 12,145 | 13,104 | 13,907 | 14,884 | 15,497 |
| Lift-on/lift-off traffic | 6,457 | 6,311 | 6,151 | 6,204 | 6,646 | 6,983 | 7,230 | 7,346 |
| Liquid bulk | 12,019 | 11,804 | 13,417 | 11,541 | 11,345 | 12,438 | 11,274 | 12,211 |
| Dry bulk | 13,435 | 13,932 | 15,042 | 15,948 | 15,128 | 15,866 | 15,937 | 16,805 |
| Break bulk and all other goods | 904 | 965 | 870 | 883 | 1,261 | 1,472 | 1,387 | 1,486 |
| Total tonnage of goods handled | 45,071 | 45,078 | 47,088 | 46,722 | 47,483 | 50,666 | 50,712 | 53,346 |
| Tonnage of goods by area of trade ('000) | ||||||||
| Great Britain & Northern Ireland | 18,002 | 19,279 | 16,887 | 17,028 | 17,418 | 19,721 | 20,475 | 22,266 |
| Other EU | 14,948 | 14,111 | 15,413 | 15,944 | 15,495 | 16,370 | 16,714 | 17,371 |
| Non-EU | 3,355 | 2,049 | 1,579 | 2,769 | 2,363 | 3,622 | 4,014 | 3,419 |
| Other ports | 7,028 | 7,555 | 8,992 | 8,167 | 9,283 | 8,617 | 7,832 | 8,796 |
| Coastal trade | 1,738 | 2,085 | 4,217 | 2,814 | 2,924 | 2,336 | 1,677 | 1,494 |
| Total tonnage of goods handled | 45,071 | 45,078 | 47,649 | 46,722 | 47,483 | 50,666 | 50,712 | 53,346 |
| 1Minor revisions for vessels by type have been made from 2013-2016 | ||||||||
| Source: CSO | ||||||||
Interactive tables: StatBank link
In 2017, a total of 12,829 vessels arrived at Irish ports, a marginal decrease of 0.6% on 2016. General cargo vessels accounted for almost three quarters (72.3%) of total arrivals.
Irish ports handled 53.3 million tonnes of goods in 2017, an increase of 5.2% when compared with 2016. Great Britain and Northern Ireland remained the main area of trade for Irish sea ports, accounting for over two fifths (41.7%) of all goods handled in 2017. The rest of the EU accounted for one third (32.6%) while all other areas (rest of the world) represented a quarter (25.7%) of all goods handled.
| X-axis label | Great Britain & Northern Ireland | Other EU | Rest of the World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 18.002 | 14.948 | 12.121 |
| 2011 | 19.279 | 14.111 | 11.689 |
| 2012 | 16.887 | 15.413 | 14.788 |
| 2013 | 17.028 | 15.944 | 13.750 |
| 2014 | 17.418 | 15.495 | 14.570 |
| 2015 | 19.721 | 16.370 | 14.575 |
| 2016 | 20.475 | 16.714 | 13.523 |
| 2017 | 22.266 | 17.371 | 13.709 |
| Table 21.6 Key indicators for the five main airports | ||||||||
| '000 | ||||||||
| Category of traffic | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
| Dublin | ||||||||
| Passengers | 18,426.8 | 18,749.1 | 19,090.8 | 20,148.6 | 21,694.9 | 24,962.5 | 27,778.9 | 29,454.5 |
| Freight (tonnes) | 105.3 | 101.9 | 111.1 | 113.5 | 127.4 | 137.3 | 134.2 | 144.9 |
| Commercial flights | 156.2 | 159.0 | 158.5 | 162.0 | 172.6 | 188.8 | 204.6 | 212.2 |
| Cork | ||||||||
| Passengers | 2,422.9 | 2,356.6 | 2,333.6 | 2,252.6 | 2,138.1 | 2,065.7 | 2,226.2 | 2,301.5 |
| Freight (tonnes) | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Commercial flights | 23.4 | 22.0 | 21.5 | 20.2 | 19.6 | 17.9 | 19.9 | 19.7 |
| Shannon | ||||||||
| Passengers | 1,531.3 | 1,364.8 | 1,286.1 | 1,308.2 | 1,555.2 | 1,642.9 | 1674.6 | 1,599.4 |
| Freight (tonnes) | 20.0 | 16.6 | 16.1 | 13.9 | 10.9 | 12.2 | 12.6 | 19.0 |
| Commercial flights | 13.4 | 13.6 | 12.7 | 12.6 | 15.6 | 13.3 | 13.6 | 13.2 |
| Knock | ||||||||
| Passengers | 586.4 | 653.6 | 677.4 | 665.6 | 703.7 | 684.7 | 735.9 | 748.5 |
| Freight (tonnes) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Commercial flights | 5.7 | 6.1 | 6.4 | 6.2 | 6.2 | 5.2 | 6.1 | 6.0 |
| Kerry | ||||||||
| Passengers | 383.9 | 310.9 | 286.4 | 306.0 | 295.0 | 303.0 | 325.7 | 335.5 |
| Freight (tonnes) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Commercial flights | 4.4 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.2 |
| Total | ||||||||
| Passengers | 23,351.3 | 23,435.0 | 23,674.3 | 24,681.0 | 26,386.8 | 29,658.8 | 32,741.2 | 34,439.3 |
| Freight (tonnes) | 126.1 | 119.3 | 127.9 | 128.1 | 139.0 | 149.7 | 146.8 | 164.0 |
| Commercial flights | 203.1 | 203.8 | 202.4 | 204.5 | 217.1 | 228.2 | 247.3 | 254.4 |
| Source: CSO | ||||||||
Interactive table: StatBank link
In 2017, 34.4 million passengers passed through Ireland's five main airports, an increase of 5.2% over the previous year.
More than 254,000 commercial flights were handled by Ireland's main airports in 2017. Dublin accounted for 83.4% of all flights (212,200), while Cork handled 7.7% of all flights (19,700).
Ireland's main airports handled a total of 164,000 tonnes of freight in 2017, and this represented an increase of 11.7% compared with 2016.
Dublin airport accounted for 78.9% of all passengers passing through Ireland's main airports in 2010. This had increased to 85.5% by 2017.
| Percentage share of total passengers by main airport, 2017 | |
| Dublin | 85.5 |
| Cork | 6.7 |
| Shannon | 4.6 |
| Knock | 2.2 |
| Kerry | 1.0 |
| Percentage share of total passengers by main airport, 2010 | |
| Dublin | 78.9 |
| Cork | 10.4 |
| Shannon | 6.6 |
| Knock | 2.5 |
| Kerry | 1.6 |
| Table 21.7 Top 10 arrivals and departures for main Irish airports by number of passengers, 2017 | |||
| '000 | |||
| Airport | Arrivals | Departures | Total |
| London - Heathrow | 1,217.5 | 1,259.1 | 2,476.5 |
| London - Gatwick | 859.5 | 828.8 | 1,688.3 |
| London - Stansted | 846.4 | 833.4 | 1,679.9 |
| Amsterdam - Schiphol | 627.2 | 628.2 | 1,255.5 |
| Manchester | 590.9 | 597.5 | 1,188.4 |
| Birmingham | 526.8 | 530.3 | 1,057.1 |
| Paris - Charles De Gaulle | 404.0 | 403.2 | 807.2 |
| Malaga | 385.8 | 385.8 | 771.5 |
| Faro | 364.6 | 363.7 | 728.2 |
| New York - John F Kennedy | 358.3 | 368.3 | 726.5 |
| Source: CSO | |||
Interactive tables: StatBank link
The most popular destination to and from Ireland's main airports was London-Heathrow with almost 2.5 million (2,476,500) passengers travelling on this route. Five of the top 10 routes were to the UK; London-Heathrow, London-Gatwick, London-Stansted, Manchester and Birmingham.
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | |
| UK | 9.4643 | 9.6599 | 9.4467 | 9.674 | 10.4196 | 11.5632 | 12.7854 | 12.8454 |
| Other EU | 10.5189 | 10.7346 | 10.9812 | 11.4589 | 12.0117 | 13.561 | 15.0141 | 15.8755 |
| Other Europe | 0.6684 | 0.7394 | 0.7289 | 0.6928 | 0.7074 | 0.7954 | 0.8387 | 0.9418 |
| North America | 1.8489 | 1.8916 | 1.9402 | 2.2084 | 2.5065 | 2.7993 | 3.1673 | 3.750 |
| Rest of the World | 0.2662 | 0.2569 | 0.4707 | 0.5391 | 0.6338 | 0.8129 | 0.7971 | 0.8843 |
Interactive tables: StatBank link
In 2017, passengers travelling to and from the UK represented 37.5% of all passengers (12.8 million) on international flights travelling through main Irish airports. Passengers travelling to and from other destinations were represented as follows: Other EU (46.3%), North America (10.9%), Other Europe (2.7%) and the Rest of the World (2.6%).
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