2026 has officially taken off — and it’s wearing thermal socks.

Cork Airport is reporting a strong start to the year, thanks to Ireland’s growing interest in ski holidays.

The airport’s ski services have been exceptionally busy with “very strong” load factors on services to Lyon, Munich, Salzburg and the newest addition, Geneva.

“Over the past two weekends, Topflight for Schools has introduced its seasonal charter services to Verona, with students from schools across Munster and beyond flying to the slopes for ski holidays.” said an Airport spokesperson.

Throughout January, large numbers of passengers also took the opportunity to travel to sunnier climes, with flights to Malaga, Faro, Alicante, Lanzarote and Tenerife all experiencing considerable increases.

Busy St Brigid’s bank holiday ahead 

With spring just around the corner, 34,000 passengers will fly to and from Cork Airport over the coming St. Brigid’s Bank Holiday weekend. The bank holiday weekend will also see thousands of passengers fly into Cork as visitors come to enjoy the region on a weekend when the country honours its female patron saint.

“As we invest in our facilities and make progress on some major capital investment projects, I’m very proud of our team who are delivering a safe and pleasant arriving passenger journey despite extensive construction within the terminal and on the campus.” said Niall MacCarthy, Managing Director at Cork Airport.

For those travelling this St. Brigid’s bank holiday weekend, passengers are advised to arrive at the airport at least 90 minutes before their flight is due to depart.