Dublin Airport’s two terminals were stretched to full capacity on 30 December as more than 100,000 passengers arrived or departed in a single day, making it the busiest travel day of the year. The daa, which operates the airport, said the spike is part of a wider 19-day festive surge that is expected to see 1.5 million people transit the facility between 18 December and 6 January. Arriving travellers were dominated by Irish emigrants returning home for the holidays and long-haul visitors taking advantage of the weak euro, while outbound volumes were fuelled by winter-sun getaways and corporate commuters racing to close out year-end business.
Operationally, the airport coped well; security wait-times averaged 18 minutes despite the crush, thanks in part to newly installed CT scanners that removed the 100 ml liquids rule. However, land-side congestion exposed ongoing pressure on car-parking capacity and the local road network. The daa again blamed the legacy 32 million-passenger planning cap for limiting its ability to invest in additional parking and kerb-side facilities—an argument that has gained traction since the High Court suspended enforcement of the cap earlier this year.
Amid the heightened footfall, ensuring travel documents are in order is just as critical as securing a parking spot. VisaHQ’s Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) allows mobility teams and individual travellers to arrange visas, passports and document legalisations online, with real-time status tracking and dedicated support—an efficient safety net when itineraries are prone to last-minute disruption.
![Dublin Airport Logs Busiest Day of 2025 as Holiday Traffic Tops 100,000]()
For mobility managers and relocation teams, the record numbers offer two take-aways. First, clients departing in early January should still build extra time into itineraries as peak volumes continue until 6 January. Second, the passenger-cap saga remains a strategic risk: airlines may trim capacity next winter if a permanent legal fix is not in place, potentially driving up fares on Ireland-bound routes.
The daa is lobbying for emergency legislation that would raise the cap to 36 million in time for the 2026 summer schedule. A Cabinet memo is expected in January; if approved, the measure would give HR and travel departments more certainty when forecasting seat availability for assignees and business travellers.
In the meantime, companies sending employees through Dublin in the first week of January should remind travellers to pre-book parking, consider public transport (the 24-hour Route 19 bus now runs up to 66 times per weekday), and allow at least three hours for long-haul departures.
Operationally, the airport coped well; security wait-times averaged 18 minutes despite the crush, thanks in part to newly installed CT scanners that removed the 100 ml liquids rule. However, land-side congestion exposed ongoing pressure on car-parking capacity and the local road network. The daa again blamed the legacy 32 million-passenger planning cap for limiting its ability to invest in additional parking and kerb-side facilities—an argument that has gained traction since the High Court suspended enforcement of the cap earlier this year.
Amid the heightened footfall, ensuring travel documents are in order is just as critical as securing a parking spot. VisaHQ’s Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) allows mobility teams and individual travellers to arrange visas, passports and document legalisations online, with real-time status tracking and dedicated support—an efficient safety net when itineraries are prone to last-minute disruption.
For mobility managers and relocation teams, the record numbers offer two take-aways. First, clients departing in early January should still build extra time into itineraries as peak volumes continue until 6 January. Second, the passenger-cap saga remains a strategic risk: airlines may trim capacity next winter if a permanent legal fix is not in place, potentially driving up fares on Ireland-bound routes.
The daa is lobbying for emergency legislation that would raise the cap to 36 million in time for the 2026 summer schedule. A Cabinet memo is expected in January; if approved, the measure would give HR and travel departments more certainty when forecasting seat availability for assignees and business travellers.
In the meantime, companies sending employees through Dublin in the first week of January should remind travellers to pre-book parking, consider public transport (the 24-hour Route 19 bus now runs up to 66 times per weekday), and allow at least three hours for long-haul departures.
