Dublin Airport has produced a commemorative calendar celebrating its 80th birthday, which takes place on January 19, 2020.
The calendar has 12 iconic images including famous sports and political figures arriving at Dublin Airport during the past eight decades. It features famous historic moments such as President John F Kennedy’s visit, the Beatles’ arrival for two concerts at the Adelphi Cinema, and the return of the Ireland soccer team after Italia 90.
Dublin Airport opened on Friday, January 19, 1940 at 9:00am when the first commercial flight, an Aer Lingus Lockheed 14 aircraft, departed for Liverpool. Today the airport handles more than 31.5 million passengers and over 233,000 flights a year.
“Dublin Airport has played a critical part in connecting Ireland to the world and has welcomed visitors from all over the globe since that first flight took off on January 19, 1940, so it’s fitting that we celebrate this significant milestone in the airport’s history,” said Dublin Airport managing director Vincent Harrison.
“Eight decades on since that historic first flight, Dublin Airport is now the international gateway to the island of Ireland with flights to almost 200 destinations in 43 countries, operated by 53 airlines, and is the 11th busiest airport in the European Union. It is one of Ireland’s key economic assets, generating or facilitating 117,300 jobs and €8.3bn [US$9.1bn] worth of economic activity,” Harrison concluded.
All proceeds from sales of the calendar will go to Dublin Airport’s 2019 charity partners: Debra Ireland, Gary Kelly Cancer Support Centre and Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus.
Dublin Airport will mark its 80th anniversary in a variety of ways throughout 2020, sharing archive photos, memorabilia and experiences from those who worked and traveled through the airport during that time.
