Compared to last year, there will be one A320 fewer from January to March, but one extra ATR72 throughout the year.
In general, that should produce a slight increase in passengers, but the number will be so small that it could be undone by a reduction in load. If we're to see a real improvement, we need to see either Aer Lingus back up to 4 aircraft for the Winter months or Ryanair staying at 2 year round.
But the elephant in the room is the Irish economy. With the average household down a four figure sum as a result of the budget, cutting out a short break is an easy way to save that money. Putting the planes there isn't going to mean a thing if there is no demand.
Alternatively, the airport could focus on getting in non-based aircraft, bringing in inbound passengers, but that seems to have been beyond them in recent years.
Regarding the DAA situation, what is needed is some certainty. If the DAA think they will lose Cork Airport soon, they are going to try to encourage traffic to Dublin. If they think they will have it for at least 20 years, they will try to develop Cork.
So either the DAA need to be removed from control or they need to be told with certainty that Cork won't be split away. Uncertainty will just make the problems continue.