Record numbers using Dublin airport

Dublin airport passenger figures rose last year to 23 million in what was a 10 per cent increase over the previous year.

Dublin airport passenger figures rose last year to 23 million in what was a 10 per cent increase over the previous year.

According to figures from Dublin airport, 2.1 million more passengers used the airport in 2007 than in the previous 12 months. The rise is an average of 5,700 extra passengers per day.

The numbers travelling to European destinations rose by 18 per cent to almost 12 million, while traffic to the United Kingdom, Middle East and United States was also up.

The top European destinations included Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Poland and the Nordic and Baltic states.

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A total of 1.6 million passengers travelled to the United States, up 11 per cent on 2006.

The addition of Aer Lingus routes to Washington, Orlando and San Francisco, together with increased capacity from Delta Airlines, US Airways and American Airlines contributed strongly to the hike.

Numbers flying to the United Kingdom jumped by just under 1 per cent to 8.6 million and by 17 per cent to the Middle East and Africa.

Irish destinations also fared well, with 900,000 passengers taking internal flights last year, up 5 per cent on 2006.

Dublin airport director Robert Hilliard said a further one million passengers are expected to use the airport this year. He said work was continuing on Terminal Two and is due to begin shortly on a 7,500-square-metre extension to the existing terminal.