Dublin Airport passenger cap not breached last year in spite of data showing 33.2m used its facilities

Dublin Airport did not breach the 32m passenger cap last year despite official figures showing that more than 33m people passed through there last year, according to numbers published by its operator, State-owned DAA. Planners have limited passengers travelling to and from the airport to 32m as a condition of allowing it to expand and open the north runway, angering airlines including Ryanair and Aer Lingus. Figures from the State’s Central Statistics Office (CSO) published on Thursday show that almost 33,260,000 passengers used the airport in 2023. However, those numbers included passengers transferring from one flight to another at the airport, and transit passengers, who do not disembark while their aircraft is stopped at Dublin. The cap applies to neither group, as the limit only covers those who are entering and leaving its terminals. Similarly, the total figure includes sea rescue and other emergency passengers who are landed at the airport, and to whom the limit does not apply either.<br/>