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A record-breaking 29.6 million passengers travelled through Dublin Airport last year.\nThe 6% increase in passenger numbers in 2017 signals the seventh consecutive year of growth at the airport.
\nAbout 27.8 million passengers started or ended their journey at Dublin last year, while a further 1.8m passengers used Dublin Airport as a hub.
\nShort-haul traffic increased by 4% to 25.3 million, while long-haul passenger numbers increased by 19% to 4.3 million.
\nDublin Airport beat its previous passenger record, which was set in 2016, by almost 1.7 million.
\n\u201cDublin Airport had another record-breaking year during 2017, with passenger numbers increasing by 6% to just under 29.6 million,\u201d said Dublin Airport managing director Vincent Harrison.
\n\u201cThe continued growth at Dublin Airport is fantastic news for the Irish economy. Increased air connectivity boosts tourism, trade and foreign direct investment.
\n\u201cLast year\u2019s record performance for visitor numbers across the island of Ireland was underpinned by the growth in passenger numbers at Dublin.\u201d
\nPassenger traffic to and from continental Europe, which is Dublin Airport\u2019s largest market segment, increased by 7% to a record 15.2 million in 2017.
\nAbout 940,000 additional people took flights between Dublin and continental European destinations last year.
\nTraffic between Dublin and British airports increased by 1% to just under 10 million, which was also a new record.
\nTransatlantic passenger numbers increased by 20% last year to almost 3.5 million – the first time that more than 3 million passengers have taken transatlantic flights to and from Dublin Airport in a single year.
\n\u201cDublin Airport is now a significant player in the transatlantic market and we saw strong growth in both point-to-point and connecting traffic to and from North America during 2017,\u201d Mr Harrison said.
\nPassenger traffic to other international destinations, including the Middle East and Africa, increased by 14% to almost 850,000 last year. <\/p>\n