Some 390,000 passengers are expected to travel through Dublin Airport this weekend, up 6 per cent on last Easter, according to airport authority DAA.
More than 2,600 flights are expected to arrive and depart over the four days from Good Friday to Easter Monday, said Dublin Airport spokeswoman Siobhán O’Donnell.
"The Canary Islands and Spanish coastal resorts are the most popular sunshine destinations for passengers in search of sunshine this Easter, and city breaks are also high on the agenda for those heading away," she said.
Monday is expected to be the busiest day of the Easter weekend with more than 102,000 passengers expected to arrive and depart through the airport that day.
The relatively late nature of Easter this year is likely to have encouraged more people to book mini-breaks over the bank holiday.
Short-haul
Dublin Airport is also preparing for a busy summer season, with 23 new routes or services, including 17 new short-haul destinations.
More than 6.5 million passengers have travelled through Dublin Airport between January and March, up 8 per cent, or an additional 460,000 passengers, compared to the same period last year.
Meanwhile, some 70,000 passengers are expected to travel through Cork Airport this weekend. Passenger numbers at Cork, which is also operated by DAA, increased 11 per cent in the first quarter, while the number of flights was up 9 per cent.
Cork Airport also said it expected this Thursday to be “particularly busy” for both departures and arrivals.