The first quarter of 2019/20 has seen a significant 10% passenger growth at Wales’ national airport.

At the end of June, rolling passenger numbers for the last 12 months stood at 1,632,689 million, a further increase of 8% compared to the same period last year.

The first three months of the 2019/20 financial year saw further developments at Cardiff Airport and exciting news from our airlines:

• TUI celebrated the start of summer by launching new routes to Naples (Italy), Dubrovnik (Croatia), Enfidha (Tunisia) and Hurghada (Egypt)
• Ryanair launched new summer routes to Barcelona, Malta and Malaga
• Thomas Cook Airlines introduced a larger A321 aircraft to its Cardiff base, adding over 29,000 seats, plus flights to Enfidha (Tunisia)
• Flybe announced its 2019/20 winter schedule, with flights to Dublin, Edinburgh, Belfast City, Paris, Jersey, Cork, Geneva and Chambery now on sale
• Qatar Airways celebrated its first year of flying customers from Wales to 160 destinations worldwide via Doha, Qatar.

Deb Bowen Rees, CEO of Cardiff Airport, said:

“It’s great to look back over our quarterly results and to see steady passenger growth, during what is a challenging time for the aviation industry, and to continue to work towards our long-term vision to deliver a sustainable airport business for Wales.

“Our airline partners have added new routes and continue to add more capacity where there is growing demand.

“In the terminal, the team are working hard to enhance the customer experience by improving efficiencies and infrastructure. We are proud to fly the flag for Wales and to welcome international visitors who are using Cardiff as a gateway to the UK.”

Cardiff Airport’s master-plan foresees the building of a hotel, multi-storey car park and new terminal by 2030, giving Wales’ capital the airport it needs and deserves. In the future, the increased footfall will help to attract more shops and revenue. Attracting flights to the US and more European destinations will also need to be explored but work is also underway to improve travel links to the airport with possible light rail connections from Rhoose in the future.

Further reading – The Importance of Cardiff Airport to the Welsh Economy