New figures from the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) show that 2016 is set to be the busiest ever year for air traffic in Ireland.

The amount of traffic safely handled in October by air traffic control climbed to 99,029 flights - that's 7.4% higher than last year.

This brought the total amount of air traffic handled between January and October to 944,611 - a 8.6% increase on 2015.

Commercial terminal flights at Dublin Airport were 7.3% higher, with 591 daily movements - traffic from Cork dipped slightly (-1.4%) - while there were 3.2% more flights from Shannon.

Eamonn Brennan, Chief Executive of the IAA said, "Heading into the winter period, air traffic demand remains strong in virtually all areas. With almost 950,000 flights safely handled already this year, I expect us to surpass the one million mark in the next couple of weeks.

"We’re nearly 9% ahead of where we were this time last year. It’s very encouraging news and a good reflection of the state of the domestic economy as well as demand for air services on the Transatlantic."