daa has chosen Esri Ireland's ArcGIS technology to build a digital twin of Dublin Airport, giving it a single view of priority assets and systems across the campus. The project is part of a multi-billion-euro capital investment programme as the airport works towards handling 40 million passengers a year.

daa is headquartered in Dublin and operates Dublin and Cork airports, with airport retail and consultancy businesses in 13 countries. For 2025, the group reported turnover of 1.18 billion euros, EBITDA of 401 million euros and profit after tax of 230 million euros, with 39.9 million passengers across its two airports.

Esri Ireland is headquartered in Dublin and provides geographic information systems to organisations in Ireland and Northern Ireland as part of the privately held Esri Global Network.

The platform will combine data from CAD, BIM and IoT sensors into a single record of infrastructure and operations, covering assets from 307 kilometres of water pipelines to more than 8,500 airfield ground lights. It will bring together information currently spread across several systems.

Dublin Airport has 50 airlines flying to almost 200 destinations, and ArcGIS will provide a shared foundation for the new runway, terminal extensions, additional car parking and a transport hub. daa expects the twin to improve how it sequences projects and allocates capital spending, while highlighting pressure points around security queues and escalators so managers can deploy staff to reduce waiting times.

ArcGIS is already used for manhole surveys, crane inspections, fire hydrant mapping, energy monitoring, noise mapping and flight path analysis as part of daa's net zero target for 2050. A shift handover application used by more than 40 team leaders gives senior management live updates twice a day.

"A digital twin gives us the insight to make faster decisions by bringing together information that was previously spread across multiple systems," said Michael Earley, BIM and digital manager at daa.

"Esri's technology helps us manage infrastructure more efficiently and enhance the passenger experience," said Damien Garry, asset management, information technology and development manager at daa.

For the sector, the move places Dublin among a small group of airports, including San Francisco and Hong Kong, using digital twin technology to plan investment and run operations.

Source: Infrastructure News / daa / Esri Ireland