Air traffic at Irish airports in 2014 grew by 2.7%, according to figures from the latest traffic report released by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA).
The en route traffic, which pass through Irish airspace but don’t land, increased by 1% to 301,331 movements whereas North Atlantic Communications flights, including routes from Europe and North America, increased by 3.8% to 420,423.
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Dublin Airport witnessed 13.4% rise in commercial movements during December, compared with same period in 2013, while Shannon grew by 8.5%.
The terminal traffic at the state airports combined in December was up 10.7%, when compared with the same month the previous year.
While Ireland’s en route traffic movements grew by 3.7% in December, IAA’s North Atlantic Communications flights increase by 2.3%.
IAA CEO Eamonn Brennan said: "The sustained growth in Irish air traffic is very welcome. Air traffic growth at Dublin and Shannon airports is being driven by the introduction of new routes by both low-cost carriers and transatlantic operators. We also saw robust growth in 2014 in our North Atlantic Communications business for flights transiting between Europe and North America.
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By GlobalData"2014 has ended well and the future is bright for 2015. We’ll see increased transatlantic capacity and new routes from Aer Lingus, Ryanair up about 10%, a new service linking Addis Ababa / Dublin / Los Angeles (served by Ethiopian Airlines), and the arrival of Vueling (IAG’s low-cost airline) between Barcelona and Dublin to name but a few. These are all positive signs of confidence in the domestic and international economies.
"As the economy grows, the IAA will continue to support the airlines, the airports and the travelling public through the provision of safe, cost-efficient and industry-leading air traffic services in the years ahead."
