Dublin’s long-running debate over its statutory 32-million-passenger cap has been thrown into sharper relief by fresh projections from Airports Council International (ACI) World. The World Airport Traffic Forecasts 2025-2054, released on 30 January, predict that global passenger numbers will hit 10.2 billion in 2026 and almost double to 18.8 billion by 2045—a compound annual growth rate of 3.4 per cent.
ACI warns that physical infrastructure, airspace constraints and environmental regulations could choke growth if governments fail to invest. While the report is global in scope, it resonates loudly in Ireland: Dublin Airport processed a record 36.4 million passengers in 2025, well in excess of its planning-permission limit, and is already facing enforcement threats from Fingal County Council.
Amid the uncertainty, travellers and corporate mobility teams still need to keep people moving. Online visa specialist VisaHQ, for instance, provides up-to-date entry-requirement intelligence and rapid visa processing for more than 200 destinations, helping Irish passengers sidestep administrative bottlenecks. Its Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) offers real-time visa rules, digital applications and dedicated support—particularly useful for firms juggling last-minute itinerary changes caused by shifting airport capacities.
![Global passenger-growth forecast flags urgent capacity crunch for Dublin Airport]()
Business bodies such as IBEC argue that the cap, imposed in 2007, risks diverting future multinational projects to competing hubs just as ACI’s data show aviation demand accelerating. The airport operator daa has floated mitigations ranging from redistributing traffic to regional airports to—according to correspondence released under FOI—temporarily banning business jets, a move that drew fierce push-back from the life-sciences and tech sectors.
ACI Director-General Justin Erbacci notes that inadequate capacity “jeopardises the quality and reliability of the passenger journey” and could erode the wider economic benefits aviation brings. For Ireland—an island economy that relies on air links for 93 per cent of all foreign business travel—the stakes include export competitiveness, tourism revenues and the country’s attractiveness as an EMEA headquarters location.
Policy makers now face a dual challenge: securing planning approval for new terminals and runway optimisation while also meeting the State’s carbon-reduction commitments. With the Irish Aviation Authority about to launch its 2026 price-cap determination and the government reviewing its National Aviation Policy, ACI’s numbers will fuel calls for a strategic decision on whether, and how, Dublin can expand beyond the current limit.
ACI warns that physical infrastructure, airspace constraints and environmental regulations could choke growth if governments fail to invest. While the report is global in scope, it resonates loudly in Ireland: Dublin Airport processed a record 36.4 million passengers in 2025, well in excess of its planning-permission limit, and is already facing enforcement threats from Fingal County Council.
Amid the uncertainty, travellers and corporate mobility teams still need to keep people moving. Online visa specialist VisaHQ, for instance, provides up-to-date entry-requirement intelligence and rapid visa processing for more than 200 destinations, helping Irish passengers sidestep administrative bottlenecks. Its Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) offers real-time visa rules, digital applications and dedicated support—particularly useful for firms juggling last-minute itinerary changes caused by shifting airport capacities.
Business bodies such as IBEC argue that the cap, imposed in 2007, risks diverting future multinational projects to competing hubs just as ACI’s data show aviation demand accelerating. The airport operator daa has floated mitigations ranging from redistributing traffic to regional airports to—according to correspondence released under FOI—temporarily banning business jets, a move that drew fierce push-back from the life-sciences and tech sectors.
ACI Director-General Justin Erbacci notes that inadequate capacity “jeopardises the quality and reliability of the passenger journey” and could erode the wider economic benefits aviation brings. For Ireland—an island economy that relies on air links for 93 per cent of all foreign business travel—the stakes include export competitiveness, tourism revenues and the country’s attractiveness as an EMEA headquarters location.
Policy makers now face a dual challenge: securing planning approval for new terminals and runway optimisation while also meeting the State’s carbon-reduction commitments. With the Irish Aviation Authority about to launch its 2026 price-cap determination and the government reviewing its National Aviation Policy, ACI’s numbers will fuel calls for a strategic decision on whether, and how, Dublin can expand beyond the current limit.
