Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport is the principal international airport serving Dublin and the Republic of Ireland. It is located at Collinstown in Fingal, about 10 kilometres north of Dublin city centre, and uses the IATA code DUB and ICAO location indicator EIDW. The airport handled a record 36.43 million passengers in 2025, including 1.7 million transfer passengers.[1][2]
Location and role
Dublin Airport occupies a site north of the city near the M1 and M50 motorways. Road access is from junction 2 of the M1. Its position makes it the main air gateway for the capital and a national hub for travel between Ireland, Great Britain, continental Europe and North America.[2][3]
The airport is the principal operating base of Aer Lingus and Ryanair. Its network combines high-frequency routes to Britain and continental Europe with transatlantic and Middle Eastern services. At its 85th anniversary in January 2025, the airport described a network of more than 180 destinations served by over 40 airlines; airline and destination totals vary by season.[4][5]
An important feature of Dublin's North American operation is United States border preclearance. Most eligible direct US-bound passengers complete US immigration, customs and agriculture formalities in Terminal 2 before departure, allowing their flights to arrive in the United States as domestic arrivals. Travellers must confirm eligibility for a particular service with the operating airline.[6]
Ownership, operation and regulation
The airport is operated by daa plc, a State-owned commercial company whose responsibilities include managing, operating and developing Dublin and Cork airports. The group also operates airport retail and international aviation businesses. Its statutory framework includes the Air Navigation and Transport (Amendment) Act 1998 and the State Airports Act 2004.[7][8]
The Irish Aviation Authority economically regulates airport charges at Dublin. Operational aeronautical information is published by AirNav Ireland through the Irish Aeronautical Information Publication and NOTAM system. Current declared distances and temporary restrictions must therefore be taken from those operational publications rather than from general airport information.[9][10]
History
The Irish Government selected the former Collinstown aerodrome site for a civil airport in 1936. Construction of grass runways began in 1937, followed by the original terminal in 1938. Designed by Desmond FitzGerald and shaped with the tiered curves of an ocean liner, the terminal was intended for about 100,000 passengers a year.[11][4]
The airport opened at 09:00 on 19 January 1940. Its first commercial departure was an Aer Lingus Lockheed 14 for Liverpool Speke. Wartime conditions restricted activity, but Aer Lingus maintained a Liverpool service. London flying resumed in 1945, KLM opened the first continental European service in 1947 and concrete runways were completed in 1948.[11][4]
The North Terminal opened for arriving passengers in 1959. Annual traffic passed one million in 1963, and new gate piers were added as aircraft and passenger volumes increased. A larger terminal, now Terminal 1, opened in June 1972. The present South Runway, then designated 10/28, entered service on 21 June 1989.[11][4]
Traffic reached 10 million passengers in 1997 and 23.5 million in 2008. Terminal 2 and its associated pier opened in November 2010 after a major expansion programme. The building was designed around long-haul and connecting operations and later became the location of the airport's US preclearance facility.[11][6]
North Runway, designated 10L/28R, commenced operations on 24 August 2022 with a Ryanair departure to Eindhoven. The €320 million project created a parallel runway 1.69 kilometres north of South Runway. Its completion was the largest change to Dublin's airfield layout since 1989.[12][13]
Terminals
Dublin has two adjacent passenger terminals connected by a pedestrian route. Each contains check-in, security, departure and arrivals facilities, while gate piers extend east and south from the terminal complex.[5]
Terminal 1 opened in 1972 and handles Ryanair and most airlines operating European and other international services. Terminal 2 opened in 2010 and is used by Aer Lingus, its regional operation and several long-haul or partner airlines. The live airline directory, rather than a fixed historical list, is the appropriate source for terminal assignments because carriers can move between terminals.[11][5]
The US preclearance facility is on the ground floor of Terminal 2 beyond airport security. It is staffed by United States personnel and provides immigration, customs and agriculture inspections before eligible direct US flights. The facility is operationally distinct from Irish outbound security and from normal border controls on arrival in Ireland.[6]
Runways and airfield
Dublin has three runways. The Irish AIP effective 14 May 2026 records their physical characteristics as follows:[10]
| Runway | Dimensions | Surface | Operational description |
| 10L/28R | 3,109 m × 45 m | Grooved concrete | North Runway; parallel to South Runway |
| 10R/28L | 2,637 m × 45 m | Grooved asphalt | South Runway; opened in 1989 |
| 16/34 | 2,072 m × 45 m | Grooved asphalt | Crosswind runway |
The same AIP publishes full-length declared distances. Displaced thresholds reduce landing distance on both ends of North Runway, while clearways increase take-off distance available on several directions:[10]
| Direction | Take-off run available | Take-off distance available | Landing distance available |
| 10L | 3,109 m | 3,169 m | 2,829 m |
| 28R | 3,109 m | 3,169 m | 2,659 m |
| 10R | 2,637 m | 2,850 m | 2,637 m |
| 28L | 2,637 m | 2,850 m | 2,637 m |
| 16 | 2,072 m | 2,255 m | 2,072 m |
| 34 | 2,072 m | 2,133 m | 2,072 m |
Runway selection depends on wind, weather, maintenance, operational requirements and planning conditions. Dublin Airport describes 10L/28R as North Runway, 10R/28L as South Runway and 16/34 as Crosswind Runway. Published runway dimensions are stable reference data, but actual availability can change by NOTAM.[13][10]
Airlines and operations
The airport's airline mix is anchored by the extensive Aer Lingus and Ryanair networks. Other operators provide links to European hubs, long-haul destinations and leisure markets. The August 2026 airline directory assigned Aer Lingus, American Airlines, British Airways, Delta, Emirates, Iberia Express, JetBlue, United and Vueling to Terminal 2, while most other listed carriers used Terminal 1. These assignments are a dated operational snapshot, not a permanent division.[5]
In 2025 the five busiest destinations were London Heathrow, Amsterdam, Manchester, London Stansted and London Gatwick. The airport facilitated about 255,000 flights during the year, 5 per cent more than in 2024. Transatlantic activity included more than two million passengers processed through US preclearance for the first time in a 12-month period.[1]
Ground transport
Dublin Airport has no railway station. Public transport is provided principally by scheduled buses and coaches linking both terminals with Dublin city centre, the wider metropolitan area and cities across Ireland and Northern Ireland. Bus zones are distributed around the terminal forecourts and the Ground Transportation Centre.[14][15]
Road access is from the M1, with onward links to the M50 orbital motorway and the national road network. Taxis, car hire, short- and long-term parking and private coach facilities are provided on the airport campus. Set-down, collection and parking arrangements are operational information and should be checked before travel.[3]
A future MetroLink station is safeguarded within airport development plans, but it must not be described as an existing rail connection. The airport's infrastructure application also proposes additional terminal, pier, apron and airfield capacity; those projects remain proposals or works in progress until completed and opened.[16][14]
Traffic statistics
| Year | Passengers | Basis |
| 2024 | 34.6 million | Total passengers including transfers |
| 2025 | 36.43 million | Total passengers including 1.7 million transfers |
The 2025 total was 5.1 per cent higher than 2024 and was the busiest calendar year in the airport's history. It differs from the 33.3 million figure often quoted for 2024 because that lower figure counted passengers passing through the terminals and excluded part of the transfer and transit total. Like-for-like comparisons must use the same traffic definition.[1][17]
Related pages
Sources
Dublin Airport history and passenger profile — Dublin Airport, accessed 29 August 2026
Dublin Airport's 85th anniversary — Dublin Airport, 19 January 2025
Record 36.4 million passengers travelled through Dublin Airport in 2025 — Dublin Airport, 16 January 2026
daa Annual Report 2025 — daa plc, 2026
AIP Ireland: EIDW Dublin — AirNav Ireland, effective 14 May 2026
Dublin Airport runway operations — Dublin Airport, accessed 29 August 2026
North Runway commences operations — Dublin Airport, 24 August 2022
daa organisation information — Department of Transport, Ireland, updated 4 December 2024
Dublin Airport airline directory — Dublin Airport, accessed 29 August 2026
United States preclearance at Dublin Airport — Dublin Airport, accessed 29 August 2026
Bus services to and from Dublin Airport — Dublin Airport, accessed 29 August 2026
Dublin Airport travel services FAQ — Dublin Airport, accessed 29 August 2026
Dublin Airport infrastructure projects — Dublin Airport, accessed 29 August 2026
Image source and licence: Dublin Airport Terminal 2, May 2024 — 瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
