Cork Airport is getting busier.

New figures released by airport operator daa this morning show a total of 260,000 passengers travelled to and from Cork Airport in September, 12 percent more than in the same month in 2022.

“Fans heading to France for the Rugby World Cup contributed to another great month in terms of passenger traffic, which was 12% higher compared with September 2022.” said daa CEO Kenny Jacobs.

“From the beginning of September, large numbers of Irish rugby fans set off for France from Cork Airport to Bordeaux, La Rochelle, and Paris as Rugby World Cup fever began to take hold. Aer Lingus commenced a direct service to Paris Charles de Gaulle to cater for the Rugby World Cup traffic and Air France increased capacity and frequency on their services to Paris.”

And there’s no dip in demand just yet:

“I have no doubt that October will be another busy month for Cork Airport as some new routes like Barcelona, Paris Beauvais and Fuerteventura come on stream,” added Jacobs.

“Towards the end of the month, thousands will jet into Cork for the annual Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, a highlight of the Cork event calendar with Cork Airport as a proud festival partner.”

Passengers flying from Munster’s busiest airport enjoyed a swift, efficient security screening process in September, where 99.9 percent of passengers cleared security in 20 minutes or less.