Opened on January 19 1940 Dublin Airport initially served only Liverpool. Its first terminal building was designed for a mere 100000 passengers annually. Aer Lingus was the sole airline operating from this modest beginning. Imagine the contrast to today’s bustling hub. Dublin Airport now handles over 34.6 million passengers each year making it Ireland’s busiest airport.
Dublin Airport’s history is deeply entwined with Ireland’s own journey. It started life as Collinstown Aerodrome a World War I Royal Flying Corps base. This site later became a place of internment for Irish republicans during the War of Independence. In 1936 Aer Lingus a newly established airline needed a new home. Dublin Airport was the answer. Its location north of Dublin was chosen for expansion. This was far from the original small grass airfield.
The airport’s growth was phenomenal. Runway extensions and terminal upgrades met increasing demand. New airlines like British European Airways Sabena and BKS joined Aer Lingus. The introduction of wide-body aircraft like the Boeing 747 in the 1970s spurred the construction of Terminal 1. This was capable of handling six million passengers a year. This ambitious expansion didn’t immediately reach full capacity however. A significant event that marked Dublin Airport’s history was a bombing by the Ulster Defence Association in 1975. This resulted in one fatality and several injuries.
The airport’s growth accelerated during Ireland’s economic boom. This led to many new routes. This particularly benefited the increased number of migrants coming from Eastern Europe. These workers needed links to their home countries. Dublin Airport became a major European hub. This was especially true after a bilateral air transport agreement with the United States. This permitted direct transatlantic flights bypassing Shannon Airport.
In recent years Dublin Airport has continued its remarkable expansion. A new runway opened in 2022. This runway is parallel to the existing one. It increased the airport’s capacity considerably. It also boosted passenger numbers which broke records several times. Today Dublin Airport offers US border preclearance. This allows US-bound passengers to complete immigration and customs checks before departure. This is a convenience shared by only one other airport in Europe Shannon Airport. Dublin Airport truly stands as Ireland’s main gateway to the world.