March 12, 2024 Back to all news

Dublin Airport's role as Ireland's gateway to the world will be firmly in the spotlight this week as it rolls out the green carpet to Oscar winners, Cheltenham race-goers, rugby fans and the arrival of hundreds of thousands of St Patrick’s Day revellers from all over the world. 

Over the coming eight days, between today (Tuesday) and Monday, more than 650,000 arriving and departing passengers will travel through Dublin Airport. The busiest day will be Friday when around 105,000 passengers are expected, including 51,000 arriving passengers and 54,000 departing passengers. 

Passengers departing from Dublin Airport over the coming days are reminded to arrive at their terminal two hours before a short-haul flight and 3 hours prior to a long-haul flight.

A busy week at Dublin Airport kick-started today with thousands of horse racing fans heading over to England for the Cheltenham Racing Festival. 

According to Graeme McQueen, Media Relations Manager at daa, the operator of Dublin Airport: "The team at Dublin Airport is ready to facilitate it all over the coming days, from the arrival home of Oscar winner Cillian Murphy, to the arrival of hundreds of thousands of tourists for St Patrick's Day. Cheltenham is always a popular destination for Irish racing fans at this time of year and this year is no different, with flights to airports in southern England set to be very busy over the coming days.” 

"The influx of tourists ahead of St Patrick's Day will pick up pace from Thursday onwards, with around 183,000 people set to fly into Dublin Airport between Thursday and Sunday ahead of St’ Patrick’s Day itself. Joining them will be around 5,000 Scottish rugby fans coming to Dublin for the final Six Nations rugby match at the Aviva, as well as the many thousands who will avail of the long bank holiday weekend to go on a city break or spring holiday." 

Passenger Advice

With large numbers travelling through Dublin Airport this weekend, passengers are advised to consider in advance how they will get to and from Dublin Airport. Passengers are encouraged to consider travelling to the airport by bus where they can. 

Demand for car parking is high, particularly for our short-term car parks, so passengers driving to the airport should book their car parking as far in advance of travel as possible to ensure best rates and availability for their preferred dates.