Almost 420,000 passengers travelled through Kerry Airport last year, the highest number in fifteen years.
Last year’s figures also represents an increase of 18% when compared to the 2022 figure.
In total last year, 419,281 passengers travelled through Kerry Airport on flights to Dublin and overseas destinations in the UK, Germany, France, Spain and Portugal.
The figure was just 4,000 less than in 2008, which was the highest ever year of traffic since scheduled flights began at Kerry Airport in 1989.
CEO of Kerry Airport, John Mulhern says more than 8 million people have flown in and out of Kerry Airport in the 34 years since scheduled flights first began.
Flights to the UK, which travel to Manchester, London-Luton and London-Stansted, accounted for half of the overall passenger footfall in 2023.
Destinations in Spain and Portugal saw an 92% average seat occupancy in 2023 and the airport says booking activity is strong ahead of the commencement of the routes on April 1st and 4th.
Mr Mulhern says the Farranfore-based airport was on an upward trajectory in 2019 before the aviation industry was decimated by the pandemic, however, he says recovery has been achieved.
He credits this recovery to the Kerry Airport board, management team and staff, the airlines who service the routes and public who travel through the airport.
Kerry Airport recently announced that Chalair will return to the county to service three routes to popular summer holiday destinations in France beginning on June 29th.
CEO of Kerry Airport, John Mulhern. Photo by Domnick Walsh
