With a whopping 9.5 million passengers making their way through it in the first four months of 2023, Dublin Airport is the busiest of the airports in Ireland.
Located just outside of the town of Swords in North County Dublin, it opened on January 19, 1940 and has gone from strength-to-strength ever since.
Below, you’ll find some handy info if you’re arriving into/leaving from Dublin Airport in 2023.
What to know about Dublin Airport
Although a visit toDublin Airport is fairly straightforward, there are a few need-to-knows that’ll make your visit that bit more enjoyable.
1. Location
As you can see from the Dublin Airport map above, it’s located just outside of the towns of Swords and Santry in North County Dublin. Its Eircode is K67 X4X5.
2. Parking
Dublin Airport provides short-term, long-term, and executive parking options. Online booking is strongly recommended for the best rates and, as of late, to avail of a slot, as parking spaces have been fully booked out. There’s also plenty of Dublin Airport car rentals if you need a car.
3. There are 2 terminals
Dublin Airport has two terminals – Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Terminal 1, the older of the two, serves both international and European airlines, like Ryanair. Terminal 2 caters mainly to Aer Lingus along with many long haul flights.
4. How far in advance to arrive
Although when you arrive will vary depending on airline, it’s generally recommended that you arrive 2 hours before flying to European destinations and 3 hours before long haul.
5. Getting to the city from Dublin Airport
Getting from Dublin Airport to the City Centre is very straightforward when you plan ahead. You can travel via bus, taxi or private transfer.
6. Hotels near Dublin Airport
There are several hotels near Dublin Airport. The Radisson BLU and the Maldron Hotel are both within its grounds while several others are a short drive away.
What to know about arriving in/leaving from Dublin Airport Terminal 1
Photo left: David Crespo. Right: Rafal Kostrzewa (Canva)
Dublin Airport Terminal 1 is the original terminal and, for the most part, it’s a great starting point for a holiday arriving into or leaving from Ireland.
Below, you’ll find some key information about Dublin Airport Terminal 1.
1. The airlines that use T1
- Lufthansa
- LOT Polish Airlines
- Logan Air
- KLM
- Icelandair
- Iberia Express
- HiSky
- Flyone
- Fly SAS
- Finnair
- Eurowings
- Etihad
- Egypt Air
- Eastern Airways
- Croatia Airlines
- British Airways
- Blue Islands
- Aurigny
- Air Transat
- Air Moldova
- Air France
- Air Canada
- Air Baltic
- Aegean Airlines
2. The check-in areas
You’ll see the check-in areas the minute you walk through the doors at T1. Some airlines provide bag-drops (for example, Ryanair have a very large bag drop area) that you can use if you’ve checked in online in advance.
3. Security
Security in T1 is now open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can check security times for T1 here. For a list of what you can and can’t bring, see the Dublin Airport website.
4. Facilities
T1 has a large number of shops, restaurants, cafes and bars to choose from where you can pick up everything from plasters and suncream to beer and more.
What to know about arriving in/leaving from Dublin Airport Terminal 2
Photo left: Fabrice Jolivet. Right: Ashley J Wilson (Canva)
Dublin Airport Terminal 2 is the new terminal and, as was the case with T1, it’s a great starting point for a holiday arriving into or leaving from Ireland.
Below, you’ll find some key information about Dublin Airport Terminal 2.
1. The airlines the use T2
- Aer Lingus
- American Airlines
- Delta
- El Al
- Emirates
- United Airlines
2. The check-in areas
You’ll find the check-in areas right inside the doors of T2. Personally, I find T2 can be a bit more chaotic as it caters for the long haul flights and you generally have people with trollies packed with cases milling around the place.
3. Security
Security at T2 opens at 04.00. You can check security times for T2 here. For a list of what you can and can’t bring, see the Dublin Airport website.
4. Facilities
T2 isn’t great when it comes to places to eat and drink. When you make your way through security you’ll find the usual duty free section and then there’s limited eating options. You can, if you have time, take the short walk in through to T1.
A brief history of Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport, one of the busiest airports in Europe, officially opened on January 19, 1940. At the time of opening, it consisted of one single terminal (now known as Terminal 1), a runway, and a hanger.
Its maiden voyage was an Aer Lingus flight to Liverpool, a flight which now takes well under 1 hour.
Dublin Airport underwent its first major transformation during the 1960s, when a larger runway was opened along with a new terminal building.
Later, in 1989, it underwent another refurbishment to deal with swelling traveller numbers.
Arguably the biggest change to Dublin Airport took place in 2010 with the opening of Terminal 2. The second terminal now caters for the many long-distance flights that land and leave in/from Ireland’s capital.
Keith O’Hara has lived in Ireland for 35 years and has spent most of the last 10 creating what is now The Irish Road Trip guide. Over the years, the website has published thousands of meticulously researched Ireland travel guides, welcoming 30 million+ visitors along the way. In 2022, the Irish Road Trip team published the world’s largest collection of Irish Road Trip itineraries. Keith lives in Dublin with his dog Toby and finds writing in the 3rd person minus craic altogether.