Over 1.6 million Irish passengers faced flight disruptions this summer, AirHelp reports
6.4 million Irish passengers travelled between June and August this year
Dublin Airport maintained its position as Ireland’s busiest travel hub
Cork Airport stood out with 80% of its passengers departing on time
Ireland — 17 September 2025 — AirHelp, the leading travel tech company supporting passengers with flight disruptions, today unveils the biggest disruptions that took place in Ireland during the 2025 summer period.
AirHelp recorded that over 6.4 million Irish passengers departed from Ireland between June and August, with over 41,000 flights scheduled during this period. Of these passengers, 26% were disrupted (1.7 million) and 56,700 people were eligible for compensation from their airline.
The data also revealed that there was a significant spike in flight disruptions on 31st August, with 51% of Irish passengers experiencing delays or cancellations. This was due to poor weather conditions at Dublin Airport which affected runway operations and led to multiple flight diversions and delays.
The days with the lowest levels of disruption, however, were 24th August with only 12% of passengers affected, closely followed by 17th June at 15% and 25th of August at 17%, making them the most reliable dates to travel during the summer period.
Best and worst for on-time performance
A closer look at passengers departing from Irish airports highlighted that Dublin Airport was the busiest travel hub, with over 5.3 million passengers travelling between June and August this year. Cork Airport followed with over 511,000 people, and stood out for its operational efficiency, recording the second-best punctuality rate with 80% of passengers departing on time.
Meanwhile, Kerry County Airport and Dublin Airport experienced the highest disruption rates, with 36% and 27% of passengers impacted respectively, highlighting the challenges faced by both regional and major hubs during peak travel months.
AirHelp’s data also uncovered the top travel destinations for Irish passengers over the summer period. Among the most popular countries was the United Kingdom, with 1.8 million passengers travelling there between June and August. This is closely followed by 733,000 people travelling to Spain and 731,000 travellers going across the Atlantic to the United States.
Analysing routes in Ireland
When examining the most disrupted routes from Irish airports, flights from Dublin Airport dominated the list, accounting for all the top 25 affected routes. Its route to Bucharest Otopeni Airport in Romania ranked the highest with over 57% of flights disrupted between June and August. Routes from Dublin to Bergamo Orio al Serio and Milano Malpensa in Italy also faced significant delays, affecting 50% and 45% of passengers.
On the other hand, the most fortunate passengers were those who travelled from Cork Airport to London Heathrow with over 95% departing on time this summer. Routes from Dublin Airport to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Cork Airport to Faro Airport in Portugal also demonstrated impressive performance, with punctuality rates of 95% and 91%, respectively.
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About AirHelp
AirHelp is a travel tech company tackling flight disruptions. Since 2013, it has won compensation for over 3 million passengers with a flight delay or cancellation. 12 million passengers have protected their flights with AirHelp+ Protection, and countless millions more benefit from the expert information freely available on www.airhelp.com/en-ie/. AirHelp has also just released its new app, which offers real-time flight tracking, disruption alerts, and options for extra protection, download it here!
AirHelp is dedicated to investing in a greener future - it has pledged to plant 1 tree for every 100 flight disruptions and so far, it has planted 146,181 trees. As air passenger rights advocates, AirHelp cares about people, and caring about people also means caring about the planet.
#1 source for flight compensation worldwide
With innovative artificial intelligence and a dedicated team of over 400 AirHelpers, AirHelp makes it easy for any traveller in the EU, UK and beyond to receive up to €600 for flight delays and cancellations. For more information about AirHelp, visit: www.airhelp.com/en-ie/.