Dublin Airport is warning travellers to build extra time into their journeys this St Brigid’s Day bank-holiday weekend, with operator daa forecasting 382,000 passengers through the terminals between Friday and Monday—about 40,000 more than the same weekend last year. Friday 30 January is set to be the crunch point, topping 100,000 departing and arriving passengers in a single day.
Capacity pressure will be amplified by several new long-haul leisure routes—Cancún and Tromsø among them—and by the suspension of an annual “seat-cap” that previously limited throughput. While the government has pledged legislation to remove that cap permanently, the parliamentary timetable means the 2026 summer peak will still rely on operational workarounds.
Travellers bound for these new long-haul destinations should also double-check entry requirements. VisaHQ’s Irish portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) offers a fast way to confirm whether you need a visa, complete the application online, and track approval status—saving precious time that might otherwise be spent in embassy queues during the busy holiday rush.
![Dublin Airport braces for record St Brigid’s rush as 382,000 passengers expected]()
To smooth flows the airport has accelerated deployment of next-generation CT security scanners in both terminals, allowing passengers to keep liquids and electronics inside cabin bags. daa says 97 % of travellers now clear security in under 20 minutes, but cautions that early-morning US-bound flights still generate queues at pre-clearance. Short-haul passengers are advised to arrive two hours before departure; long-haul travellers three.
Business-travel managers should note that the Platinum VIP private terminal—often used for senior executives—has no additional slots this weekend and is operating at full capacity. Companies sending staff through the main terminals are encouraged to pre-book Fast-Track and car-park spaces, both of which are approaching sell-out status.
From a mobility-policy perspective, the weekend will serve as a live stress-test of Dublin’s new passenger-flow algorithms—a key data point as authorities debate whether to lift the 32-million-passenger annual cap. daa argues that continued scanner roll-out and a modal shift to public transport (now over 50 % of airport access journeys) prove the hub can handle more traffic without breaching environmental limits.
Capacity pressure will be amplified by several new long-haul leisure routes—Cancún and Tromsø among them—and by the suspension of an annual “seat-cap” that previously limited throughput. While the government has pledged legislation to remove that cap permanently, the parliamentary timetable means the 2026 summer peak will still rely on operational workarounds.
Travellers bound for these new long-haul destinations should also double-check entry requirements. VisaHQ’s Irish portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) offers a fast way to confirm whether you need a visa, complete the application online, and track approval status—saving precious time that might otherwise be spent in embassy queues during the busy holiday rush.
To smooth flows the airport has accelerated deployment of next-generation CT security scanners in both terminals, allowing passengers to keep liquids and electronics inside cabin bags. daa says 97 % of travellers now clear security in under 20 minutes, but cautions that early-morning US-bound flights still generate queues at pre-clearance. Short-haul passengers are advised to arrive two hours before departure; long-haul travellers three.
Business-travel managers should note that the Platinum VIP private terminal—often used for senior executives—has no additional slots this weekend and is operating at full capacity. Companies sending staff through the main terminals are encouraged to pre-book Fast-Track and car-park spaces, both of which are approaching sell-out status.
From a mobility-policy perspective, the weekend will serve as a live stress-test of Dublin’s new passenger-flow algorithms—a key data point as authorities debate whether to lift the 32-million-passenger annual cap. daa argues that continued scanner roll-out and a modal shift to public transport (now over 50 % of airport access journeys) prove the hub can handle more traffic without breaching environmental limits.
