Num­ber of people from NI using Dub­lin Air­port triples in 25 years

Belfast Telegraph
Margaret Canning
10 Jan 2026

Warn­ing about NI air­ports los­ing out because of growth ‘has come to pass’

A warn­ing over 25 years ago that Bel­fast’s two air­ports would lose out because of the growth of Dub­lin Air­port has come to pass, it’s been claimed.

But a North­ern Ire­land infra­struc­ture expert said Dub­lin’s dom­in­ance as a hub air­port on the island of Ire­land at the expense of air­ports here simply reflec­ted his­tory.

In 2024, accord­ing to fig­ures from the Dub­lin Air­port Author­ity (DAA) — the semi-state body which owns the air­port — Dub­lin Air­port had 34.6 mil­lion pas­sen­gers, up 3.3% on 2023.

DAA says that 4% of its pas­sen­gers come from North­ern Ire­land — which would mean 2024 fig­ures of 1.4 mil­lion. DAA no longer pub­lishes sep­ar­ate fig­ures on North­ern Ire­land pas­sen­gers.

Accord­ing to the Civil Avi­ation Author­ity (CAA), Bel­fast Inter­na­tional Air­port had 6.7 mil­lion pas­sen­gers in 2024, down 13%.

Bel­fast City Air­port had 2.4 mil­lion, up 14%, while City of Derry Air­port had 179,095, up 16%...

Num­ber of people from NI using Dub­lin Air­port triples in 25 years - Belfast Telegraph [Press Reader] - 10 Jan 2026