Dublin Airport has opened a new transfer area designed to improve passenger flow for travelers connecting between Europe and North America.
The €16 million facility is situated beside Pier 4, near Terminal 2, and significantly increases the airport’s capacity for connecting passengers — enabling it to handle up to four times more transfers than before.
Transfer traffic through Dublin has grown rapidly in recent years, climbing from 550,000 passengers in 2013 to nearly 1.6 million last year. So far this year transfer volumes are up about 17 percent. Among the busiest transatlantic connecting routings through Dublin are Chicago (ORD)–Heathrow (LHR), Boston (BOS)–Heathrow, Boston–Paris (CDG), Amsterdam (AMS)–New York (JFK), and Boston–Manchester (MAN).
“We have been growing Dublin Airport as a connecting gateway between Europe and North America steadily over the past five years and this new transfer facility will help us to further expand that business,” said Vincent Harrison, managing director of Dublin Airport.
Harrison added that expanding transfer traffic is vital for the airport’s broader route network strategy: “These additional transfer passengers underpin the viability of a route and encourage airlines to launch new services and add capacity on existing routes.”
Dublin Airport highlights several advantages that make it an attractive hub for transatlantic connections: its geographic position, strong links to both transatlantic and short-haul destinations as well as connections to the Middle East, and the presence of US preclearance. That preclearance service allows passengers bound for the United States to clear immigration and customs in Dublin and arrive in the US as domestic travelers, simplifying onward journeys and reducing arrival wait times.
The new transfer area adjacent to Pier 4 is intended to streamline connections, reduce congestion at peak times, and provide a more efficient, passenger-friendly experience for those transiting through Dublin between Europe and North America.