More evidence of the extent of Dublin Airport's gateway status to not only the capital but the entire island of Ireland today.  

The airport has announced that the number of Northern Irish residents arriving and departing through it climbed 37% last year to a record 1.2 million.

An estimated one million overseas residents also passed through the airport as part of their trip to the North during 2015, setting a new record in the process.

Helping the passenger increase was an expanded route network, with 23 new services and extra capacity on 40 existing routes in the year.

Some 67% of all passengers who came to the island by air came via Dublin Airport.

In other Dublin Airport news, it is moving towards the establishment of a direct service between Ireland and China.

The Irish Independent reports that daa chief executive Kevin Toland recently met with the administrator of China's Civil Aviation Authority, Feng Zhenglin, and China's ambassador to Ireland, Yue Xiaoyong, to discuss the possibility of a direct route.

Beijing Airport stated last year that Dublin was one of the international cities it wanted to connect with, while Dublin has been working on doing just that for a number of years.

An executive with Hainan Airlines owner HNA said the route was under serious considering during the summer.

A daa spokesman said of the latest reports:

"Dublin Airport is always exploring the potential for new services with new and existing airline customers but we never comment on whether or not we are in specific discussions in relation to a new service."

Transport Minister Shane Ross has admitted it is "an important priority" for the Government, having meet with Zhenglin himself in Dublin recently.