The June Bank Holiday weekend has always been a busy period for the airport and this year is no exception, with more than passengers flying both inbound and outbound over the course of the weekend.
Graeme McQueen, the head of media relations at Dublin Airport has described the spectacle vividly saying "The departure gates will be busy with sports fans, holiday makers and business travellers heading off overseas, while the arrivals halls will welcome tens of thousands of tourists from around the world, including many arriving for the Leinster versus Toulon rugby match on Saturday and Punchestown Races, which kicks off today and runs until the weekend. We love these busy weekends and the team at Dublin Airport can't wait to welcome everyone,"
This boom in passengers is coming at a critical time for Dublin Airport as the passenger cap is being discussed across the country.
The passenger cap was originally imposed in 2007 when the second terminal at Dublin Airport was built, in effort to reduce the traffic in and out of the area. The cap which was originally 32 million passengers a year, has been temporarily suspended and now sits at 40 million for 2026.
Cork and Shannon Airports have also seen a boom in passengers this weekend with over 65,000 passengers expected in each.
With the high levels of passengers in Dublin Airport it is advised to get to the airport 2-3 hours before your flight. The amount of time that security and passport control takes will vary.
The EU entry-exit system became fully operational last month. This system uses a digital registration instead of passport stamps when travelling outside of the EU. The system contains a biometrics check for non-EU citizens. Wizz Air's Yvonne Moynihan has said that this extra security check may have people experiencing "longer waiting times than anticipated.”
