Increase in passengers at airport this Easter

The top three destinations included Alicante, Dublin and Málaga Photo credit: Cardiff Airport

More passengers flew to and from Cardiff Airport this Easter compared to the same period last year.

The airport estimated over 46,000 travellers over the holiday period, marking an 18% increase compared to 2025.

The top three destinations included Alicante, Dublin and Málaga.

Jon Bridge, CEO of Cardiff Airport, said: “It’s been an incredibly positive start to 2026, with passenger numbers rising and approaching the one million mark.

“This summer promises to be our busiest season since the pandemic, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome travellers through our doors.”

This comes as Bristol Airport lost a legal battle over a £205m tax payer subsidy the Welsh airport received from the Welsh Government.

The English airport claimed the subsidy, which they said was equivalent to the taxpayer contributing £71.50 per passenger, was “unlawful” and risked distorting the market.

The Competition Appeal Tribunal rejected the claim.