Unless visiting from Britain or France, the only practical way to visit Ireland is by air. Here's our guide to Irish airports and getting to Ireland by air.
The main air routes into Ireland are via Dublin, Cork, Shannon and Belfast airports. Many carriers operate from these airports to countries around the globe. Britain, continental Europe and North America are the major destinations served. Ryanair and Aer Lingus remain the two dominant operators across most Irish airports, alongside easyJet, Jet2 and TUI on the Northern Ireland side.
Airports — going clockwise around the island:
- Belfast City
- Belfast International
- Dublin
- Waterford
- Cork
- Kerry
- Shannon
- Galway
- Knock
- Sligo
- Donegal
- Derry
Belfast City Airport
Long branded George Best Belfast City Airport after the famous Northern Irish footballer, the airport rebranded its public-facing marketing to simply "Belfast City Airport" in 2024 — though its official registered is unchanged, and the signage above the terminal still carries George Best's name. It's located east of the city.
Location and Getting to Belfast City Airport
Located in postcode BT3 9JH, Belfast City Airport sits on the Sydenham Bypass (the A2), between Belfast and Holywood, easily accessible from the M1 and M2 via the M3. The Airport Express (route 600) runs from the Europa/Grand Central bus station. Trains also serve Sydenham station near the airport.
Routes and Airlines
The primary carriers today are Aer Lingus (operated by Emerald Airlines, with the Heathrow route flown under wet-lease by British Airways using Aer Lingus UK callsigns following Brexit-related restructuring), British Airways, easyJet, KLM and Loganair. Destinations are mostly short-hop UK routes — London Heathrow, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh and others — plus KLM's link to Amsterdam for onward international connections, and a seasonal easyJet route to Palma de Mallorca. A new Aer Lingus route to the Isle of Man is due to start in June 2026.
Bmibaby and manx2, both mentioned on older versions of this page, no longer exist — bmibaby ceased operations in 2012 and manx2 was rebranded and later withdrew from Belfast.
The website for Belfast City Airport is: http://www.belfastcityairport.com/
Belfast International Airport
Colloquially known as Aldergrove, the International Airport is located close to Antrim on the shores of Lough Neagh, about 30 minutes west of Belfast. It's the larger and busier of Belfast's two airports, handling over 6.7 million passengers in 2024.
Getting to Belfast International Airport
Located in postcode BT29 4AB, accessible from Belfast via the M2/A57 and from Dublin via the M1/A1/A26. The Airport Express (route 300) runs from Belfast's Grand Central Station roughly every 15 minutes, taking about 30–40 minutes.
Routes and Airlines
easyJet is now the largest operator and bases aircraft here, alongside Ryanair, Jet2 and TUI, covering a wide spread of UK, European city and Mediterranean leisure routes.
Continental Airlines, listed on older versions of this page, no longer exists — it merged into United Airlines in 2012.
The website for Belfast International Airport is: http://www.belfastairport.com
Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport is Ireland's largest and busiest airport by a wide margin, and traffic has grown substantially: it carried a record 36.4 million passengers in 2025, roughly double the "almost 19 million" figure this page previously quoted from 2011. It connects to over 200 destinations in more than 40 countries via around 44 airlines. A long-running 32-million passenger cap has been under legal and legislative challenge, with the Irish government moving to remove it in 2026.
Location and Getting to Dublin Airport
Located 10km north of Dublin, close to the M50 and M1. Aircoach and Dublin Bus Airlink (747/748) run frequent services to the city centre; standard Dublin Bus routes 16a and 41 also serve the airport as a cheaper option. Coach companies also connect the airport directly to Belfast, Sligo, Galway, Limerick, Cork and Waterford.
Routes and Airlines
Dublin Airport serves as home base for Aer Lingus and headquarters for Ryanair, with major transatlantic connections (both terminals benefit from US preclearance) alongside extensive UK and European coverage. The top destinations by passenger volume are consistently London Heathrow, Amsterdam and Manchester.
Iceland's WOW Air, mentioned on older versions of this page as launching Dublin flights in July 2015, ceased operating entirely in 2019 and no longer exists in any form.
The website for Dublin Airport is: http://www.dublinairport.com
Waterford Airport
Waterford Airport serves the southeast of Ireland — though not, currently, with scheduled passenger flights.
Location and Getting to Waterford Airport
Waterford Airport is located south of Waterford City on the R708, close to Tramore. There's no bus or rail service; car or taxi only.
Routes and Airlines
Waterford Airport has had no scheduled commercial passenger flights since 2016, when its last operator, VLM Airlines, went out of business. The VLM Luton/Birmingham routes described on the old version of this page never really got going in the way that was hoped, and the airport has operated as a general aviation, pilot training and business-jet facility ever since.
That said, this is genuinely worth watching: in 2026, shareholders voted to liquidate the existing airport company and hand the site to a new owner-led redevelopment backed by US investor Kelcy Warren, with a €30–35 million runway extension and terminal upgrade now under construction. Summer 2027 has been floated as a possible date for the return of scheduled commercial flights, though nothing is confirmed yet.
The website for Waterford Airport is: http://www.flywaterford.com
Cork Airport
Serving the south and Ireland's second city, Cork Airport has grown into a genuinely well-connected regional hub — currently around 47 non-stop destinations across 13 countries with 8 airlines.
Location and Getting to Cork Airport
Cork Airport is located 8km south of Cork on the N27. Bus Éireann and other coach operators serve the airport; there's no rail link, and a taxi costs roughly €10–15.
Routes and Airlines
Ryanair and Aer Lingus are the main carriers, with Aer Lingus Regional (Emerald Airlines), KLM, Lufthansa, Air France and seasonal leisure carriers such as SunExpress also operating. Aer Lingus added new routes to Nice and Santiago de Compostela for summer 2026, alongside a year-round Prague service. Cork has no long-haul or transatlantic services — all routes are within Europe and one seasonal link to Turkey.
The website for Cork Airport is: http://www.corkairport.com
Kerry Airport
Serving one of Ireland's most scenic and most visited counties, Kerry Airport at Farranfore sits roughly halfway between Tralee and Killarney.
Location and Getting to Kerry Airport
Kerry Airport is a ten-minute walk from the nearest train station. Buses run to Tralee, Killarney and Limerick.
Routes and Airlines
Ryanair remains the main carrier, flying to Dublin, London Luton, London Stansted, Manchester and seasonally to Alicante and Faro. Chalair Aviation also operates seasonal routes to smaller French airports (Brest, Brive, Caen, Pau).
The website for Kerry Airport is: http://www.kerryairport.ie/
Shannon Airport
Shannon carried around 2.1 million passengers in 2024 and remains the only airport in Ireland open 24/7, with the longest runway in the country and full US preclearance — meaning transatlantic passengers clear US immigration in Shannon and land in the US as domestic arrivals.
Location and Getting to Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport is located west of Limerick City on the N19, off the M18. Bus Éireann and other operators run services to Limerick, Galway and Dublin.
Routes and Airlines
Aer Lingus runs year-round flights to Boston and New York JFK, with Delta (New York JFK) and United (Chicago) adding seasonal transatlantic services for summer 2026 — the airport's largest schedule in 17 years, at around 40 routes in total. European and UK routes are covered mainly by Ryanair and Aer Lingus.
The website for Shannon Airport is: http://www.shannonairport.ie
Galway Airport
There are still no scheduled commercial services to or from Galway Airport, as was the case when this page was last updated — private and charter aircraft can land and take off, but there's no passenger airline presence.
The website for Galway Airport is: http://www.galwayairport.com
Ireland West Airport Knock
Located close to the holy mountain of Croagh Patrick and the pilgrimage site of Knock, Ireland West Airport (commonly still called Knock Airport) is the main international gateway for the west, midlands and northwest of Ireland, now serving over 800,000 passengers a year across more than 20 destinations. Knock still applies a passenger development fee, though the mechanics of collecting it have moved on from cash-only.
Location and Getting to Ireland West Airport
Located roughly halfway between Galway and Sligo on the N17. No rail service; Bus Éireann connects to Galway, Sligo and Derry.
Routes and Airlines
Ryanair and Aer Lingus Regional are the primary operators, with routes to London, Manchester, Liverpool and seasonal European leisure destinations such as Alicante and Cologne.
The website for Ireland West Airport Knock is: http://www.irelandwestairport.com
Sligo Airport
There are still no scheduled services to or from Sligo Airport.
The website for Sligo Airport is: http://www.sligoairport.com
Donegal Airport
Serving the northwest and County Donegal, Donegal Airport at Carrickfinn is regularly rated among the most scenic airports in the world thanks to its approach over the Atlantic.
Location and Getting to Donegal Airport
Located on the coast near Gweedore in northwest Donegal; best reached by car, with no direct public transport link.
Routes and Airlines
Donegal's routes to Dublin and Glasgow are now operated by Emerald Airlines under the Aer Lingus brand, rather than Flybe as on older versions of this page. The Dublin route is a subsidised Public Service Obligation (PSO) route, and its timetable has been politically contentious in 2026 — a proposed reduction to a single daily round trip drew strong local and Dáil opposition (citing its importance for medical travel, including cancer patients), and the government restored the fuller schedule, including the midday and overnight-aircraft arrangement, from May 2026, with the contract now secured through to February 2030.
The website for Donegal Airport is: https://donegalairport.ie
City of Derry Airport
Northern Ireland's northwest airport, located in Eglinton, about 11km from Derry City.
Location and Getting to City of Derry Airport
Located on the A2 road between Derry and Coleraine, in postcode BT47 3GY. Ulsterbus runs a service to and from Derry City.
Routes and Airlines
Ryanair and Loganair are the main operators, with direct routes to London, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Liverpool, plus onward connections via Loganair codeshare partners. The airport recorded around 179,000 passengers in 2024.
The website for City of Derry Airport is: http://www.cityofderryairport.com