Dublin Airport expects 469,000 travellers between Friday and Monday of the October bank-holiday weekend, according to operator daa’s spokesperson Graeme McQueen. Daily throughput is forecast to top 123,000 on Friday 23 October alone, making it the airport’s busiest single day since August 2022. The spike coincides with Ireland’s mid-term school break, generating a mix of family leisure and pent-up business travel ahead of the year end. To maintain flow, the airport will continue its “leave liquids and laptops in the bag” trial lanes, which have cut average security times to 18 minutes this quarter. Passengers are urged to arrive two hours early for short-haul and three hours for long-haul departures. Those flying Sunday should also note the clock change to winter time. Families can take advantage of a “kids-eat-free” promotion at The Garden Terrace (T1) and The Fallow (T2), a small but welcome perk amid higher seasonal airfares. For corporate mobility planners, the surge means limited parking availability and likely premium-rate hotel rooms near the airport. Companies may wish to pre-book fast-track security or lounge access for travelling executives and explore public-transport links such as the Dublin Express bus to avoid expected taxi queues. The figures underscore Dublin’s recovery as a European hub: daa handled over 1.2 million passengers during last year’s October break and projects similar numbers through 2 November this year. Carriers report strong load factors to sun destinations like the Canary Islands and business centres such as London, Frankfurt and New York.
Source: InDublin.ie
