Dublin Airport Contributes €9.6 Billion, 2.3% Of The Economy, Supporting 116,100 Jobs

Dublin Airport contributes a total of
€9.6 billion in gross value added (GVA) to the Irish economy and supports or
facilitates 116,100 jobs in the Republic of Ireland, according to a new study
of the airport’s overall economic impact. The study, independently produced by
international economic consultants InterVistas, found that Dublin Airport is a
key conduit to the equivalent of 2.3% of the national economy.

Of the 116,100 jobs that Dublin
Airport is responsible for, 19,900 are direct, with a further 11,700 indirect
jobs in firms that support or supply to the airport. In addition, a further
13,300 jobs can be linked back to the airport through employees spending in the
economy, while the airport helps sustain 71,200 more jobs through its
facilitation of tourism, trade, investment and productivity. 

The new InterVistas study measures the
overall economic impact of Dublin Airport and considers areas such as
employment levels, the wages of the people employed in airport-related
activities, and the indirect benefits that flow into the wider Irish economy.

The total economic impact of Dublin
Airport includes activity directly related to the airport, the multiplier
impacts that flow from it, and the other sectors of the economy facilitated by
the airport.

When it comes to jobs, 27% of the
employment generated by the airport are in Fingal, with a further 21% in the
rest of Dublin, 22% in the rest of Leinster and 31% across the rest of the
country.

In terms of Dublin Airport’s economic
contribution, 29% of total GVA is located in Fingal, with 24% of GVA located in
the rest of Dublin, 20% in the Rest of Leinster, and 28% in the Rest of
Ireland. Dublin Airport is a critical piece of national infrastructure which
has an economic impact felt throughout the country.

According to Kenny Jacobs, CEO of
daa, the operator of Dublin Airport:

“Dublin Airport plays a unique role
within Ireland, acting as the island’s main gateway to the rest of the world
and underpinning the economy at large by facilitating tourism, foreign direct
investment, trade and many thousands of jobs. This new report from InterVistas
highlights that without Dublin Airport, and particularly without the extensive
international connectivity from the airport, the Irish economy would not be as
large, affluent or diverse as it is today.”

Speaking at the launch of the Dublin
Airport Economic Impact Study by InterVistas, Minister of State at the
Department of Transport Jack
Chambers said:

“Dublin Airport’s role as a key driver
of growth in our economy and the international gateway for trade, inward
investment and tourism, is clear from the Economic Impact Study launched today.
As an island nation, enhancing Ireland’s connectivity by ensuring safe, secure
and competitive access responsive to the needs of business, tourism and
consumers is one of the principal goals of our National Aviation Policy. The
Government supports the sustainable development of Dublin Airport as a hub
airport, competing with the UK and other European airports, with the necessary
capacity to connect Ireland to key existing and emerging global markets. daa’s
Capital Investment Programme 2020+ will enhance the passenger journey at Dublin
Airport as well as providing additional capacity to cater for demand arising
from, inter alia, population growth in the region and nationally. This will
include the delivery of new piers and aircraft stands and facilitate a number
of infrastructure projects that will enable daa to deliver on its commitment to
reduce carbon emissions by 51% by 2030 and achieve net-zero by 2050”.

The importance of international air
connectivity is highlighted in the report. Ireland has one of the highest per
capita connectivity scores in Europe among major economies – double that of the
UK – and Dublin Airport alone contributes higher per capita connectivity that
the UK in total. This demonstrates that Dublin Airport is a major
infrastructure asset for the country and a critical contributor to Ireland’s
connectivity with the rest of the word.

Air cargo handled at Dublin Airport is
transported to and from a variety of world regions. Cargo volumes to and from
the UK have accounted for a quarter of all cargo, while the European union has
accounted for 20-25% as has the United States of America. Prior to COVID-19,
the region largely comprising Asia was the fastest growing segment, increasing
from 295 to 37% of all cargo volumes.

The InterVistas report also highlights
the potential future economic contribution of Dublin Airport, with scope for
strong growth in both jobs and the wider Irish economy over the coming years.
Passenger numbers at Dublin Airport have rebounded strongly post Covid and
demand for travel from Dublin Airport is forecast to grow by around 3.7% per
annum between 2025 and 2030. This would see passenger numbers potentially reach
39.6 million, with forecasts predicting those numbers could reach 46.6 million
by 2040 and 55 million by 2055. 

With the terminal capacity of Dublin
Airport currently capped at 32 million passengers per annum, daa will later
this year submit a new planning application which would allow for that cap to
be increased to meet demand. 

Kenny Jacobs said: “There is a
clear opportunity to grow Dublin Airport further, providing more jobs and more
economic growth for Ireland in the process, but only if the planning and
regulatory environment is able to keep pace. If Dublin Airport is not able to
accommodate these opportunities for growth, it will be other major city
airports – the same airports that Dublin Airport currently competes with on a
daily basis for air connectivity – that will benefit instead. Dublin Airport
will soon submit a planning application which would enable the airport to grow
to 40 million passengers per annum, bringing thousands more jobs and billions
more euro to the economy in the process.”

“InterVistas’ analysis indicates
that maintaining the current 32 million cap would lead to Ireland forgoing an
additional 17,800 jobs and €1.5 billion in GVA by 2030. By 2055, the number of
jobs lost to Ireland would be 53,300 – the equivalent to the population of
Waterford – while €4.4 billion would be lost in GVA. This would have huge implications
for Ireland’s tourism sector and business community, with trade and visitor
numbers being constrained. Ireland’s ability to maximise these growth
opportunities, in terms of additional jobs and economic activity, would go a
long way to enabling Ireland to accommodate the strong population growth that
it is expecting over the decades to come,” added Kenny Jacobs.