Ireland West Airport celebrates record passenger number in the first quarter of the year

The first quarter of 2024 has proven to be the busiest on record at Ireland West Airport, as 159,000 passengers travelled through the airport between January and March.

The passenger numbers represented an 18% increase in 2023 passenger numbers and a 6% increase in the previous busiest first quarter, which occurred in 2019 when 143,000 passengers travelled through the airport.

The airport will operate flights to 21 International destinations this summer and is served by three of Europe’s major international airlines, Aer Lingus, Lauda Europe and Ryanair.

146,000 passengers travelled on services to and from the UK in the first quarter of the year, a 20% increase on the same period in 2023. This was boosted by record passenger numbers on the airport’s services to London Heathrow, Edinburgh, and Liverpool, in particular.

Aer Lingus and Ryanair recorded the busiest passenger numbers ever at the airport in the first quarter. In addition, 12,000 passengers travelled on services to and from Malaga, Lanzarote and Tenerife, a new record for the airport.

The return of the weekly services to Lanzarote and Tenerife after a four-year absence proved hugely popular with holidaymakers in the region.

The strong passenger numbers coincide with the commencement of the summer 2024 flight schedule at the airport, which will see Ryanair operate its biggest-ever summer sun and European city break schedule.

Ryanair will operate flights to 9 city break and sun destinations across Europe, with 32 weekly flights and 170,000 seats available to and from European hotspots such as Alicante, Barcelona, Cologne, Faro, Lanzarote, Majorca, Malaga, Milan and Tenerife. The 2024 summer schedule represents an increase of 3% compared to summer 2023.

In addition to their services to and from Mainland and Continental Europe, Ryanair will also operate flights to 8 different UK airports this summer, including Birmingham, Bristol, East- Midlands (Nottingham), Edinburgh, Manchester, Liverpool, London Luton and London Stansted.

The summer schedule will see Aer Lingus continue to operate daily flights to London Heathrow, providing onward connectivity to 80+ destinations worldwide with their codeshare partners such as Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia, JetBlue
and United Airlines.

Commenting on a strong first quarter, Joe Gilmore, Managing Director of Ireland West Airport, commented: “The increased numbers are a testament to the expanded route network, increased convenience, and the stress-free nature of using the airport.

“In particular, the feedback on our new security screening system has been very positive and has further enhanced the passenger experience when using the airport, providing an even more seamless and quality travel experience this summer.”