A total of 3.34 million passengers travelled through Dublin Airport in September, in line with the same month last year.
The busy September continued what has been a record year for Dublin Airport so far. In the first nine months of 2026, just shy of 29 million passengers travelled through Dublin Airport – an increase of 4% on the same period in 2025.
Around 17.4 million of those passengers travelled through Terminal 1, while almost 11.6 million travelled through Terminal 2.
Dublin Airport recorded its three busiest-ever September days during the month, with Sunday, 13 September, the busiest of all, when 128,600 passengers travelled through the terminals.
This was 4% higher than the previous busiest September day.
In September, 26 of the 30 days saw Dublin Airport welcome more than 100,000 passengers. In the first nine months of the year, 186 out of 273 days (68%) have seen more than 100,000 passengers travel through the airport.
The most popular routes in September were: 1) Heathrow, 2) Amsterdam, 3) Manchester, 4) Malaga and 5) Gatwick.
The strong September performance was supported by a significant increase in transfer activity, with the number of passengers connecting to other destinations through Dublin’s route network up 37% on September last year.
Transfer passengers play an important role in supporting the viability of existing routes and helping Dublin Airport attract new direct services to destinations around the world, strengthening connectivity for Ireland and supporting tourism, trade and wider economic activity.
In total, 493,000 passengers travelled on routes between Dublin and North America in September, 3% higher than the same month last year, while traffic on UK routes was up 2%.
Dublin Airport is seeking to expand and enhance its U.S. Customs and Border Protection preclearance facility in Terminal 2 to enhance passenger circulation, accessibility and the overall passenger experience.
Permission has already been granted for the expansion of the preclearance facility.
This week, airport operator daa will submit an application to amend that permission to include an additional storey to the currently permitted CBP facility, along with associated design refinements and operational improvements.
This will enable the airport to offer a better experience to passengers using the facility.
According to Gary McLean, Managing Director of Dublin Airport: “September was another busy month at Dublin Airport, bringing an end to our busiest-ever summer period, with almost 15 million passengers travelling through our terminals since the end of May.
“Passenger demand was supported by a number of notable events, including Ireland’s EU Presidency, which continues to bring politicians and delegates from all over the world to Ireland.
“Golf was also a big driver of September’s numbers, with thousands of golf fans flying in from around the world for the Walker Cup and Irish Open at Lahinch and Doonbeg respectively.
“The return of business and student travel after the summer also helped drive demand.
“We continue to see strong demand for our transatlantic routes, highlighting the need to further improve our US preclearance facility.
“The additional floorspace we are seeking to add will accommodate enhanced facilities for transfer passengers, improve circulation throughout the building, support the integration of a fixed passenger link to Pier 4, and provide infrastructure required to achieve Zero Emission Building standards.
“I’d like to pay tribute to the teams at daa who have made summer 2026 such a smooth one for our passengers at Dublin Airport.
“From our security team getting passengers safely through screening in consistently speedy times, to the facilities teams who have kept our terminals clean and easy to navigate, and everyone else who played a part in making our record summer such a success, the performance has been fantastic and I offer my sincere thanks.”