The 2023 statistic exceeded the 807,000 passengers which was the previous high, which was announced in 2019.

Three of Europe's international carriers, Aer Lingus, Ryanair, and Lauda Europe, serve the airport, which currently operates flights to twenty-one foreign destinations.

Aer Lingus launched a new daily service to London Heathrow last year, which increased the number of passengers on routes to and from the UK to 665,000. This service offers onward connectivity to over 80 locations globally.

With over 730,000 passengers, Ryanair experienced its biggest year ever at the airport. This is a 3% increase over 2022 and record numbers of passengers travelling to and from Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Edinburgh, and other UK cities.

148,000 people travelled to and from Alicante, Barcelona, Faro, Majorca, Malaga, Milan, Cologne, Lanzarote, and Tenerife on services to and from Mainland and Continental Europe, setting a new record for the airport. Compared to 2022, this represented a 7% increase.

According to statistics released today, August had 102,000 people pass through the airport, making it the busiest month of the year. In August, August 29, a Tuesday, saw over 4,500 people pass through the airport, making it the busiest day of the year.

In 2023, more than 6,000 aircraft took off and landed at the airport. The airport said that the number of flights affected by bad weather at the airport was less than 10, which is the lowest amount ever.

The Airport Transformation Programme continued to receive funding last year, and several infrastructure projects, such as the installation of a new cabin baggage screening system that is currently fully operational, were finished by the end of 2023.

The new devices expedite travel through the airport by eliminating the need for passengers to take out laptops, phones, and liquids from cabin bags. Additionally, the ban on liquids larger than 100 millilitres is lifted.

Ireland West Airport Chairman Arthur French declared that 2023 would be a historic year for the airport, citing the arrival of US President Joe Biden on Friday, April 14, among other significant occasions.

"We launched new services to both Lanzarote and Tenerife with Ryanair, and for the first time launched a new daily service with Aer Lingus, to one of Europe's major international airport hubs, London Heathrow," French said.

"I wish to express our gratitude to our customers, airline and tour operator partners, stakeholders, tourism groups and Local Authority partners for their ongoing support in helping us to continue to grow passenger numbers and develop international connectivity for the region," added the chairman.

"I also want to express my gratitude to the airport workers for their dedication and ongoing efforts to make sure that travellers and customers have a friendly and safe experience when using the airport. Over the next 12 months, we'll keep working with our airline partners and stakeholders to expand the range of flights available from the airport and to invest in our airport development initiative," he continued.