Dublin Airport (DUB)
Dublin Airport (DUB) at a glance
Dublin Airport (DUB) sits 10 kilometers north of the Irish capital and carries a workload out of proportion to its country: 36.4 million passengers in 2025, a record, through an airport serving a nation of just over five million people. It is Ryanair's home base and largest single airport, Aer Lingus's transatlantic gateway, and one of only a handful of airports in Europe offering US preclearance, letting passengers land in America as domestic arrivals.
The airport's defining fight is a number: a 32-million-passenger planning cap imposed in 2007 as a condition of building Terminal 2, which traffic has now blown past while the courts and planners argue. A High Court suspension of seat limits let 2025 set records, but the cap question, raise it, scrap it, or enforce it, remains the biggest open issue in Irish aviation.
Hub & base airlines
| Airline | Role | Terminal |
|---|---|---|
| Ryanair | Home base and largest single base | Terminal 1 |
| Aer Lingus | Flag carrier hub and transatlantic gateway | Terminal 2 |
Terminals & infrastructure
Terminal 1 is the short-haul machine, home to Ryanair's largest base, while Terminal 2 hosts Aer Lingus and the long-haul carriers, including the US preclearance facility that lets transatlantic passengers clear American immigration before departure. The parallel North Runway opened in 2022, giving Dublin the runway capacity its terminals and planning cap now constrain.Full specifications
Latest Dublin Airport (DUB) coverage from AeroTime
Frequently asked questions
A record 36.4 million passengers in 2025, up 5.1% on 2024, making it by far Ireland's busiest airport, with London Heathrow and Amsterdam its top routes.
A 32-million-passenger annual limit attached to the 2007 planning permission for Terminal 2. Traffic now exceeds it; a High Court suspension of related seat limits allowed 2025's record, while the underlying planning question remains unresolved.
Yes, one of the few airports in Europe with it: passengers clear US immigration and customs in Terminal 2 before boarding, arriving in America as domestic passengers.