Cardiff Airport is gearing up for another busy summer season, as over a six-week period, over 318,000 customers will be jetting off for a summer holiday or to visit friends and relatives whilst the kids are off school.

During the school holiday period between July and September, Wales’ national airport is expecting a 7% increase in passengers compared to last summer, making summer 2019 the busiest summer in over a decade.

Customers can reach exciting long-haul destinations such as Bali, Thailand, Pakistan, India and Australia with daily flights with 5* airline Qatar Airways, via a connection in Doha. Dutch airline KLM offers connections to Dubai, China and multiple destinations in the USA and Canada with up to three flights a day to hub airport Amsterdam Schiphol.

Passengers can also travel to several new destinations this summer, including beach-breaks in Hurghada, Naples and Dubrovnik with TUI, plus new routes to Malaga, Malta and Barcelona with Ryanair.

Flybe continues to fly passengers to European city-break hotspots such as Milan, Rome, Munich and Venice, as well as regular domestic flights to Edinburgh, Dublin and Belfast, perfect for a short getaway.

Deb Bowen Rees, CEO at Cardiff Airport said,

“We look forward to welcoming even more passengers to the Airport this summer as they prepare to jet off on their holidays, as well as those flying in from around the world to visit Wales and the UK. Passengers can enjoy further improvements to the customer experience such as self-service bag drop kiosks, water refill stations, and new e-passport gates making arriving into the UK quicker and easier. “During this busy period, we encourage passengers to pre-book their car parking in advance, and pack their hand luggage and suitcases appropriately to allow for a smooth journey through the terminal and time to relax before take-off.”

Passengers flying long-haul this summer are advised to leave plenty of time to check in and clear security before their flight: check in will be open up to four hours prior to flights for customers flying on Qatar Airways.

The top ten most popular routes this summer are: