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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Lifestyle
Donal MacNamee

Dublin Airport: Number of passengers in and out on same day in 2019 and 2020 shows frightening change

Fewer than 3,000 passengers passed through Dublin Airport on Wednesday on their journey in or out of Ireland.

On November 18, 2019, that figure was 55,000.

For the airport, the figure represents a 95% drop-off – and illustrates again the terrifying picture facing Ireland's aviation industry as Covid-19 continues to wage war on international travel.

Gone, it seems, are the days when tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of passengers would move through Ireland's main airport.

Today, for instance, there are only around 20 flights departing from Dublin airport – three of which are to other Irish airports.

Last year, it won't surprise you to hear, that figure would have been much, much higher.

So on the 10th birthday of Terminal 2 – which has welcomed nearly 100 million travellers over the last decade – the situation could scarcely be any more grim.

Figures provided to the Irish Mirror show just 6,000 passengers travelled into out of Dublin Airport on Monday.

The same day last year brought 75,000 travellers to the airport for a flight in or out.

And November is a quiet month for the airport in general, caught in the nowhere zone between the last autumn flights and the first Christmas voyages home.

The busiest day on record last year for Dublin Airport saw more than 115,000 people come in and out of the airport.

It's hardly surprising that passenger numbers have gone off a cliff: the second wave of Covid-19 has forced countries across Europe into a series of national lockdowns, and all but ended the possibility of travel between countries.

Dublin Airport can be hopeful of an uptick in numbers next month, with many set to travel back to Ireland for the festive period in spite of the public health situation.

But in terms of passenger numbers, it's likely to be a case of far too little, much too late.

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