ANALYSIS schedule data for summer 2015 suggests that seat capacity at Irish airports will be up around nine per cent.
This is according to Airline News and Analysis (ANNA) – a body focusing on global airline/airport network planning issues.
In 2014 overall traffic increased by seven per cent at airports in the Republic of Ireland.
This was partly due to the abolition of Ireland’s much criticised travel tax which was introduced in 2009 and perhaps also due to intense tourist board initiatives in promoting Ireland in Britain and overseas.
But annual passenger numbers overall have still not recovered to their 2007 levels.
Numbers fell steadily at Irish airports from 2008 to 2011, after which they began to recover again.
The decline in passenger numbers during those years is widely seen as a reflection of the country’s financial difficulties.
Ireland's economic recovery has seen passenger numbers rise again.
Come July 2015 ANNA predicts that Ryanair and Aer Lingus will continue to dominate the market with a combined share of almost 80 per cent of all departing seats on international routes, including Ireland-Britain routes.
(Departing seats is the usual measure of airline traffic, and of course is a close reflection of passenger arrivals, as most people who fly buy return tickets).
By July 2015 Ireland’s two main airlines will be neck and neck, with Ryanair just edging ahead.
ANNA predicts that Ryanair will have 162,162 departing seats, Aer Lingus 156,664.
A long way behind in third place is British Airways with 10,512 departing seats.
British Airways has added flights to Dublin from London City Airport Heathrow-Dublin service.
This is a significant step for British Airways, and demonstrates how important Irish-British routes are.
British Airways had, until last year, abandoned the Irish market entirely apart from using Shannon as a technical stopover for its outbound London City to New York services.
United Airlines, Flybe and Emirates are the other airlines which make up Ireland’s top six busiest airlines.
In terms of destinations from Ireland, Britain is still by far the most popular destination from Ireland, with Spain and the US in second and third places.
According to ANNA's figures, in July 2015 some 633,618 passengers will head to Britain, 247,765 will depart from Ireland for Spain and 175,337 for the US.
