DATA SPOTLIGHT: Dublin Airport

13 May, 2020

This year The Blue Swan Daily will feature some of the leading airlines, airports and country markets for air travel. Here, using the extensive profile insights available to CAPA - Centre for Aviation members, we deliver a data snapshot on Dublin Airport, where it warned this week that physical distancing at Ireland's largest gateway would reduce its overall capacity by 70%.

According to daa CEO Dalton Philips the implementation of a two metre separation would have a massive impact on the airport's operation regardless of the best prepared plans. "We will have people queueing out the door and into our car parks with only a small level of traffic coming back", he explained. He added: "We really have to get to the bottom of whether physical distancing will remain for airports or not".

These potential capacity constraints have a very different meaning to those the airport faced ahead of the coronavirus crisis with Dublin having seen tremendous growth over the past decade. Aer Lingus and Ryanair have been the main drivers, but the airport has also secured some key new operators all of whom helped double annual passenger numbers through the 2010s.

But, in the middle of Apr-2020 the airport's weekly capacity was down to just over 6% of the levels seen at the same time the previous year. Now, the airport is gearing up for Ryanair's return to the skies having only flown a skeletal schedule for the past couple of months. The airline, the airport's largest user, plans to return to 40% on its normal schedules across 90% of its pre-coronavirus network from 01-Jul-2020, subject to government restrictions on intra-EU services being lifted, and effective public health measures implemented at airports.

NETWORK MAP (as at 11-May-2020)

GLOBAL RANKING (as at 11-May-2020)

DESTINATIONS (as at 11-May-2020)

ANNUAL CAPACITY (2012-2020*)(NOTE:The values for this year are at least partly predictive up to 6 months and may be subject to change)

WEEKLY DOMESTIC CAPACITY (2017 - 2020*)NOTE:*the values for this year are at least partly predictive up to six months and may be subject to change.

WEEKLY INTERNATIONAL CAPACITY (2017-2020*)NOTE:*the values for this year are at least partly predictive up to six months and may be subject to change.