Dublin Airport faces capacity gap as passenger demand projected to exceed 40 million

Passenger traffic at Dublin Airport reached 29 million in the first nine months of 2026 and is expected to total more than 37.5 million for the full year, according to the airport’s operator.

The Irish Aviation Authority forecasts demand to surpass 40 million passengers in 2028 and 44.5 million by 2031, while D.A. Terminal 3 Limited warns that about 3 million passengers a year could be left without capacity when its infrastructure is completed, arguing that the planned extra capacity will not be fully operational until the 2030s and may already be insufficient. The company proposes doubling overall airport capacity to roughly 70 million passengers and estimates €5.7 billion to raise capacity from 37.5 million to 40‑45 million, plus €3.5 billion for a new motorway link from the M2 to Terminal 3.