For the 75th consecutive year, Dublin Airport will shut its doors on Christmas Day, with the last scheduled arrival touching down at 23:10 on 24 December and the first departure not taking off until 06:00 on St Stephen’s Day. The closure—unique among major European hubs—was confirmed again yesterday by ground-transport operator Aircoach, which reminded passengers that the terminals are completely inaccessible on 25 December. The airport itself issued similar guidance earlier in the month when forecasting a record 1.8 million passengers over the 19-day festive period.
Passengers who discover that rerouting is unavoidable should also remember that visa rules can shift with a new itinerary. VisaHQ’s Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) lets travellers instantly check whether an unexpected stop in London, Paris or elsewhere requires an additional transit visa and can submit urgent applications online—particularly useful when the Christmas shutdown leaves little time for embassy visits.
The halt affects all commercial flights, general-aviation movements and immigration processing; only emergency diversions are permitted. Airlines have therefore front-loaded departures, and seats on the last outgoing flights of Christmas Eve are scarce. Mobility teams moving critical staff should verify that itineraries do not involve a 25 December transit at Dublin, as re-routing via Shannon or London may be required.
![Christmas Day Shutdown at Dublin Airport: What Business Travellers Need to Know]()
Travellers already in Ireland should also note ancillary impacts: the Revenue customs helpline, most public transport, and many car-rental desks operate reduced hours, while on-airport COVID-19 testing centres are closed. Aircoach, which runs express coaches from Cork, Belfast and Galway to the airport, has cancelled all services on the 25th and will resume from 02:00 on the 26th.
For expatriates returning home, the advice is to complete e-Gate passport registrations in advance and arrive at least three hours before evening departures on 24 December to clear security before facilities wind down. Employers with time-sensitive cargo should arrange for freight clearance at Shannon or via the port network, where customs staff maintain minimal holiday cover.
Looking ahead, DAA has hinted that a partial Christmas-Day reopening could be considered once the new north runway reaches full capacity in 2027, but union agreements on staff rostering would first have to be renegotiated. Until then, the annual shutdown remains a fixed feature of Ireland’s mobility calendar.
Passengers who discover that rerouting is unavoidable should also remember that visa rules can shift with a new itinerary. VisaHQ’s Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) lets travellers instantly check whether an unexpected stop in London, Paris or elsewhere requires an additional transit visa and can submit urgent applications online—particularly useful when the Christmas shutdown leaves little time for embassy visits.
The halt affects all commercial flights, general-aviation movements and immigration processing; only emergency diversions are permitted. Airlines have therefore front-loaded departures, and seats on the last outgoing flights of Christmas Eve are scarce. Mobility teams moving critical staff should verify that itineraries do not involve a 25 December transit at Dublin, as re-routing via Shannon or London may be required.
Travellers already in Ireland should also note ancillary impacts: the Revenue customs helpline, most public transport, and many car-rental desks operate reduced hours, while on-airport COVID-19 testing centres are closed. Aircoach, which runs express coaches from Cork, Belfast and Galway to the airport, has cancelled all services on the 25th and will resume from 02:00 on the 26th.
For expatriates returning home, the advice is to complete e-Gate passport registrations in advance and arrive at least three hours before evening departures on 24 December to clear security before facilities wind down. Employers with time-sensitive cargo should arrange for freight clearance at Shannon or via the port network, where customs staff maintain minimal holiday cover.
Looking ahead, DAA has hinted that a partial Christmas-Day reopening could be considered once the new north runway reaches full capacity in 2027, but union agreements on staff rostering would first have to be renegotiated. Until then, the annual shutdown remains a fixed feature of Ireland’s mobility calendar.
