daa reports increase in profit and air passenger numbers

daa, the state-owned operator of Dublin and Cork airports, has announced a profit increase of 41 percent to €40 million.

Turnover at daa increased by 13% to €564 million, aided by higher revenues from aeronautical charges and increased income from commercial activities both in Ireland and overseas. daa Chief Executive, Kevin Toland, commented on the recent company results: “daa recorded a solid year of progress in 2014. We had the highest year of overall passenger growth since 2007 and our international travel retail business ARI performed strongly in continuing markets.”

“daa recorded a solid year of progress in 2014,” according to Chief Executive Kevin Toland. “We had the highest year of overall passenger growth since 2007 and our international travel retail business ARI performed strongly in continuing markets.”

Dublin Airport reported passenger numbers increased by 8 percent to 21.7 million. Long-haul traffic was up 14 percent, while transfer passengers increased by 37 percent to a record 749,000 last year. Transatlantic traffic increased by 14% last year to a record 2.1 million passengers and has grown by 42% over the past four years. According to daa the increase is due to the major expansion in North American flights – Dublin Airport is now Europe’s sixth largest airport for transatlantic connectivity.

The British market provided Dublin Airport’s largest growth in volume terms last year, as the number of passengers taking flights between Dublin and British destinations increased by 8% to 7.8 million, with an extra 604,000 people travelling. Continental European passenger numbers increased by 5% to 11.1 million last year, while other international traffic to the Middle East and North Africa increased by 19% to a record 634,000.

Traffic at Cork Airport declined by 5% last year to 2.1 million passengers, due largely to a number of its central European routes being transferred to Shannon Airport. Growth and stabilisation of passenger numbers is now a major focus for the company. Cork Airport, which is the State’s second largest airport, will welcome three new services this year.

daa’s first quarter results of 2015 revealed a 15 percent  increase in overall passenger numbers with Dublin Airport increasing by 17 percent to 6 million. However, passenger numbers at Cork Airport declined by 5 percent to 490,000.