OVER 1.2 MILLION passengers travelled through Dublin Airport last month, a 40% increase on the same period last year, new figures show.

However, when compared to pre-Covid-19 levels, passenger numbers at Dublin Airport are down by some 63%.

Dublin Airport received a bump in passenger number last month thanks to travel restrictions in and out of Ireland being lifted in July. Almost 1,260,000 people passed through the airport last month, up from 516,000 in August 2020.

Over 2.9 million passengers have travelled through the airport in the first eight months of this year, according to the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), representing an 87% decrease when compared to 2019.

In comparison to August 2019, the DAA found passenger numbers to and from continental Europe were down 54% to 865,000 last month.

Likewise, the number of passengers travelling to and from Dublin Airport and Britain was 72% lower at 257,000 while transatlantic traffic declined by 77% to almost 111,000 passengers.

When it came to passenger numbers on flights to and from other international destinations, which includes flights to the Middle East, volume was down by 82% to almost 21,000 passengers. The number of people taking domestic flights declined by 65% to just under 34,000.

Other international passenger traffic to the Middle East was down by 82%, as 21,000 passengers travelled during the month. The number of passengers on domestic routes was down by 65%, with 4,300 passengers travelling this sector last month.

Dublin Airport recently issued a reminder to passengers to arrive at their terminal two hours before a short-haul, and three hours before a long haul flight following reports of significant delays at security. 

The Irish Independent reported yesterday that the DAA has accelerated recruitment due to security staff shortages.