Dublin Airport owners cite 2026 traffic surge and call for major capacity expansion

Terminal 3 Limited reported that passenger numbers reached 29 million in the first nine months of 2026 and that full‑year traffic is expected to exceed 37.5 million passengers.

The Irish Aviation Authority projects demand to pass 40 million in 2028 and reach 44.5 million by 2031, while the owners say about 3 million passengers a year will lack capacity once their infrastructure is complete. They estimate €5.7 billion is needed to raise capacity from 37.5 million to roughly 40‑45 million and to double overall airport capacity to about 70 million, plus an additional €3.5 billion for a new motorway link from the M2 to Terminal 3. The owners also favour closing the cross‑wind runway and building a new terminal on the eastern campus to replace Terminal 1 rather than expanding westward.