Dublin Airport operator applied to Fingal County Council to amend existing planning permission for the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) preclearance facility in Terminal 2. Proposed changes include an additional storey, design refinements and operational improvements to enhance passenger circulation, accessibility and the overall passenger experience.
The move comes as airlines expanded transatlantic capacity for summer 2026. The Dublin to North America market fundamentals are strong as carriers added new routes, increased frequencies and upgauged existing route capacity.
Aer Lingus launched Dublin–Raleigh-Durham in April, with up to five weekly Airbus A321XLR flights, and Dublin–Pittsburgh on 25 May, operating four times weekly with A321LR/XLR aircraft. The carrier also increased frequencies to Nashville and Indianapolis from four to five weekly, introduced daily peak-summer service to Orlando, and added a third daily flight to New York JFK and Boston.
Delta Air Lines upgraded Dublin–Detroit to daily service, from four weekly flights the previous summer, and Dublin–Minneapolis–St Paul the carrier increased capacity on selected dates from A330-200 to A330-300, to meet passenger demand.
United Airlines increased capacity on Dublin–Chicago O’Hare with Boeing 787-9 and 787-10 aircraft replacing some 787-8 operations, while deploying Boeing 777-300ERs on selected Newark–Dublin rotations to meet peak seasonal demand.
Image Credit: daa – Dublin Airport
Irish Aviation Research Institute © 24 October 2026 All Rights Reserved
