Knock Enjoys Record Year

The year 2023 was the busiest on record at Ireland West Airport in Knock, Co Mayo, with passenger numbers there increasing by 13% to 818,000 for the first time in the airport's history.

The 2023 figure surpassed the previous record of 807,000 passengers reported in 2019.

The airport now flies to 21 international destinations and is served by three of Europe's international airlines - Aer Lingus, Ryanair and Lauda Europe.

Passenger numbers on routes to and from the UK totalled 665,000 last year, boosted by the start of a new daily service to London Heathrow with Aer Lingus, which provides onward connectivity to more than 80 destinations worldwide.

Ryanair recorded its busiest ever year for passenger numbers at the airport, carrying over 730,000 passengers, a 3% increase on 2022 with record numbers flying to and from Liverpool, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Manchester in the UK.

The 2023 figures show that August was the busiest month of the year with 102,000 passengers travelling through the airport during the month.

Last year also saw continued investment in the Airport Transformation Programme, with a number of infrastructural projects completed during the course of 2023, including the installation of a new cabin baggage screening system which is now fully operational.