At the end of April 2019, Wales’ national airport has marked a milestone in terms of passenger growth. It has been Cardiff Airport’s busiest year since 2009, with a report revealing that over the last 12 months, more than 1.6 million passengers have flown through Cardiff Airport — reflecting an increase of 7% versus 2018.

Passenger growth for the month of April was up 20% versus the same month last year, with the airport welcoming 126,399 total passengers. In total, passenger numbers have grown by over 60% since the Welsh Government purchased the airport in 2013.

“A transformational 12 months”

Deb Barber, CEO at Cardiff Airport said: “We are delighted to have reached this passenger milestone after what has been a transformational 12 months, and our busiest period in over 10 years.

“April’s figures show another strong month of passenger growth, with passengers jetting off to destinations across the world, and our airline partners reacting to increased customer demand by adding new routes and extra capacity.

“2019 is set to be another exciting year and we look forward to a busy summer season.”

Growth factors:

• Low-cost carrier Ryanair added new services to Barcelona and Malta, complementing its existing flights to Faro and Tenerife. The airline will also launch flights to Malaga in June.
• Thomas Cook added a larger A321 aircraft to its base at Cardiff and started its summer schedule earlier, adding a new route to Enfidha (Tunisia).
• At the end of April, a Welsh Government multi-sector trade mission departed to Qatar aiming to increase trade between the two countries.
• TUI added extra cruise flights to Barbados during April. The airline has also launched new routes to Naples, Dubrovnik and Hurghada for the summer.

April’s most popular destinations included Alicante, Tenerife, Edinburgh, Malaga, Palma and Belfast, as well as hubs such Amsterdam, Doha, Paris and Dublin which offer passengers the ability to connect to worldwide destinations.

Upgrades and improvements

In terms of improvement, Cardiff Airport recently launched new e-passport gates, an improved security search area and a re-configuration of the car parks, including a park and ride service from the newly opened off-site car parks.