Cork Airport Expects 164,000 Passengers Over Festive Period

Cork Airport is preparing for its busiest Christmas period on record, with 164,000 passengers expected between now and 6 January 2026, including 58,000 travellers before Christmas Eve alone.

The festive rush marks a 7% increase on last year, with Sunday 21 December set to be the busiest day for arrivals and Sunday 28 December the peak day for departures. The surge caps off what will be the busiest year in the airport's 64-year history.

Passengers arriving over the coming days will be greeted by Christmas choirs and musicians performing in the Arrivals area until 23 December. Cork City Council is also giving away prizes and gift cards to some arriving passengers as part of its "Corkmas" campaign.

Niall MacCarthy, Managing Director at Cork Airport, said:

"There is nothing like an airport at Christmas and airport welcomes go, nothing like a Cork Airport welcome. We've seen them home and will see more home over the next week. Then we'll see the waves and farewells from Saint Stephen's Day through New Year's Day. That's the tide of an airport and we take great pride in the friendly service we deliver at Cork Airport every season, but particularly at Christmas."

The airport has received confirmation that Santa Claus has filed his flight plan and is expected to arrive on schedule on Christmas Eve. With no commercial flights during Santa's delivery window, the airspace over Cork and Munster will be fully cleared to enable unhindered travel across the region.

Passengers travelling over the festive period are advised to arrive at least 90 minutes before departure and allow extra time for checking bags. Those carrying gifts should leave them unwrapped, as they may need to be inspected at security. Christmas crackers are not permitted on aircraft under any circumstances.

For real-time flight information, passengers can check corkairport.com or use the WhatsApp flight information feature available on the arrivals and departures pages.

Cork Airport welcomed 3.1 million passengers in 2024 and is forecasting 13% growth in 2025, bringing total numbers to over 3.4 million.