DUBLIN Airport will exceed its annual cap of 32m passengers early next week, following its busiest October on record.
According to the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), more than 3.2m passengers passed through the airport last month, marking the seventh consecutive month of year-on-year growth.
DAA chief executive Kenny Jacobs said the momentum seen this autumn is likely to continue through the remainder of the year and into 2026.
“With high single-digit growth in October expected to be overtaken by double-digit gains in the months ahead, it’s clear there’s significant pent-up demand for travel to and from Ireland,” he said.
By the end of October, approximately 31.1m passengers had already used Dublin Airport in 2025, around 1.2m more than during the same period last year.
Jacobs confirmed that the 32m passenger threshold would be surpassed “in the early part of next week”, well before the busy Christmas travel season.
The airport’s current passenger limit stems from a planning condition imposed in 2007 during the construction of Terminal 2.
But that cap was effectively paused earlier this year after the High Court referred certain slot allocation issues to the European Court of Justice, allowing growth to continue in the short term.
The government has since pledged to remove the outdated restriction, with Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien securing Cabinet approval in September to draft legislation that would give him the authority to amend or scrap the cap entirely.
But the legislative process could take several months and may face further legal challenges.
The DAA has separately applied to raise the limit to 40m passengers per year as part of a wider infrastructure plan.
Jacobs said the airport operator would soon submit additional information to the noise regulator ANCA to support its case, adding that a final decision from the planning authority would follow once ANCA’s review is complete.
Meanwhile, airlines including Ryanair and Aer Lingus have continued to criticise the cap, arguing it stifles growth and limits Ireland’s connectivity.
The Irish Aviation Authority is also reviewing the maximum passenger charges Dublin Airport can impose between 2027 and 2031, with the DAA warning that capacity constraints could hinder service quality and passenger experience.
