Passenger arrivals to Ireland close to pre-pandemic levels for the first time

Passenger arrivals have now “effectively returned to pre-pandemic levels” for the first time since the Covid-19 crisis, the Central Statistics Office said on Thursday.

More than 1,340,400 air and sea passengers arrived from overseas in November, which was just 0.8 per cent lower than the number seen in November 2019, it said, and is up a massive 70.6 per cent on November 2021.

“These passengers, comprising foreign visitors arriving in Ireland and Irish overseas travellers returning home, represent a very substantial increase on November 2021, when 785,800 passengers arrived on overseas routes. The increase is even more substantial when compared with November 2020 when just 103,900 passengers arrived on these routes,” said Gregg Patrick, a statistician in the CSO’s tourism and travel division.

Some 1,292,800 people arrived by air last month, or 96.4 per cent of the total, with 47,600 arriving by sea, with more arrivals coming from Britain than from any other country.

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While there has been a recovery in both modes of travel, the recovery in air travel is “most pronounced”, the CSO said, with arrivals soaring 71.3 per cent year-on-year.

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The recovery is also spread across all major routes, with transatlantic traffic up most. Three passengers arrived on transatlantic routes in November 2022 for every one passenger who arrived in November 2021.

Britain remained the most important departure country for overseas travel to Ireland, with 521,900 passengers arriving on air and sea routes from Britain, compared to just 313,800 in November 2021. This was still below the 572,200 arrivals from Britain recorded in November 2019.

Among the continental routes, Spanish routes remain the busiest, with 160,300 passengers arriving on these routes. This was up 69.4 per cent on November 2021 and is also 25.6 per cent higher than the pre-pandemic level seen in November 2019.

Arrivals from France, which came in at 72,000 last month, are 12.9 per cent higher than the number seen in November 2019. However, passenger arrivals embarking from the US and Germany remain 9.7 per cent and 16.6 per cent lower respectively compared with November 2019.

While some 39 per cent of arrivals came or returned to Ireland on cross-channel routes last month, 48 per cent of passenger arrivals (643,400) came or returned to Ireland on continental routes, and 9.1 per cent of passenger arrivals (122,500) came or returned to Ireland on transatlantic routes, embarking in the US or Canada.

Approximately four in every 100, or 3.8 per cent, of passenger arrivals (51,600) came or returned to Ireland on other routes, embarking in Africa or Asia.