It was a one in three million moment for Hannah Davison yesterday at Cork Airport as she became the three millionth passenger of 2025
Hannah, who was travelling in the company of her children Joshua and Emily, arrived from London Gatwick on Ryanair flight FR7722 which touched down shortly after 12:30. Travelling to Cork to visit her family, Hannah was met on arrival by airport management and presented with a luxury hamper and a bottle of champagne from Cork Airport Duty Free to celebrate the significant milestone.
With 14% passenger traffic growth in the year-to-date, the three millionth passenger milestone was surpassed nearly two months earlier than in 2024*. 2025 will officially be the busiest year in Cork Airport’s 64-year history, with passenger numbers expected to beat all previous records and the airport on course to be Ireland’s fastest-growing airport for a second year running.
Cork Airport has become the airport of choice for consumers from across the South of Ireland with the former traditional catchment area of Munster now extending to incorporate counties in south Leinster such as Carlow, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Wexford, and Kildare. Earlier this year, Cork Airport was named as Europe’s Best Regional Airport by Airports Council International (ACI) Europe, acknowledging the airport’s efforts in the promotion of inbound tourism, the addition of numerous new routes and the commitment to sustainable business.
Independent market research undertaken by RED C shows that passengers using Cork Airport rank their experience highly – complimenting the conveniently located carparks, swift security, friendly and courteous staff, excellent shopping and dining experiences, and modern, 21st century airport facilities. Cork Airport is a key enabler for the Irish economy, contributes over €1 billion in terms of gross value added and supports over 12,500 jobs – both directly and indirectly.
In celebrating Cork Airport’s three million passenger milestone, Kenny Jacobs, daa CEO, said:
“When Cork Airport celebrated its three millionth passenger of 2024 in December of last year, I said that Cork Airport will experience an even better year in 2025. That prediction has certainly come to fruition with passenger numbers crossing the three million mark almost two months earlier than last year! As Europe’s Best Regional Airport, it’s very clear why Cork Airport is experiencing such success. With no less than six new routes added this year, welcoming a new airline partner and delivering consistently high customer satisfaction ratings, more and more customers from across the South of Ireland are discovering the joy of flying from Cork. Well done to all the team at Cork Airport!”
Congratulating Hannah Davison on being the three millionth passenger of 2025, Roy O’Driscoll, Deputy Managing Director at Cork Airport said:
“On behalf of all the team at Cork Airport, I’d like to congratulate Hannah on being the three millionth passenger of 2025. It’s a momentous milestone for all at Cork Airport, who day-in and day-out, go to great lengths to ensure that each of our passengers has an enjoyable airport experience – whether that be arriving or departing. We’re keenly aware of the airport’s importance in providing vital connectivity to the region and over the next number of years, all our passengers will see the many improvements we are making to the airport as part of our €200 million capital development plan.”
In the year-to-date, there was significant growth in passenger traffic across some key markets with a 13% increase in passengers travelling to and from the UK, a 51% increase in passengers travelling to and from and Germany, a 34% increase in passengers travelling to and from Spain; and a 21% increase in passengers travelling to and from Switzerland.
New routes added to the route network this year included Bilbao (Aer Lingus), Bordeaux (Aer Lingus), Izmir (SunExpress) and Prague (Aer Lingus) with a new service to Geneva (Aer Lingus) starting in December. Cork Airport’s winter schedule commenced last weekend with over 1.4 million seats on sale between now and March 2026.
