Airport passenger numbers record surprising decline

Dublin Airport Passengers '000s (SA)

Dublin Airport passenger numbers surprisingly fell in Q4 2022. Over 6.4 million passengers (SA) passed through the airport in the quarter, which included the busy Christmas season. Despite growth of 2 million passenger journeys (+44.3%) YoY, a QoQ reduction of 18.7% passenger journeys was recorded. This may be a reflection of the rising costs of air travel combined with slowing economic activity in key inbound tourist markets such as the UK and US. While passenger throughput at the airport was relatively subdued in Q4, DAA is proceeding with plans to recruit 500 additional staff as activity levels normalise post-pandemic.