Cardiff: Airport 1 Million Passenger Milestone

[Aviador]

The 1 Million Passenger Milestone - Is CWL Finally Turning the Corner, or is Bristol Still the Biggest Obstacle?​

The latest CAA data has handed Cardiff Airport a massive headline as passenger numbers have officially broken back past the 1 million mark over the last 12 months, making CWL the second fastest-growing airport in the UK right now.

With a 24% passenger jump in the first quarter of this year, WestJet’s new direct Toronto link up and running, TUI basing a 4th aircraft this summer, and Ryanair having their busiest season yet, the numbers are undeniably pointing upward.

But it got me thinking about the long-term picture for Welsh aviation. Passing a million passengers is a huge psychological milestone for the staff and airlines, but we are still a way off the 1.6 million peak from a few years back.

It feels like Cardiff is caught in a classic chicken-and-egg scenario:

• The Optimist View: The momentum is finally real. New long-haul connectivity, more based leisure frames, and double-digit growth prove that if you give people the routes, they will choose to fly from Wales rather than crossing the Severn.
• The Realist View: Bristol is still a massive shadow. As long as a huge percentage of South Wales holidaymakers automatically head down the M4/M5, Cardiff is fighting an uphill battle to secure major hub returns like Qatar Airways.

What do you think it will take to truly lock in this recovery? Is a 4th based TUI frame and a transatlantic link to Canada enough to permanently shift local travel habits, or does CWL need a major low-cost carrier shake-up to truly compete with the West Country?

If you're reading this as a guest or a regular local flyer, we’d love to know your thoughts. Do you actively try to fly out of CWL, or does route availability still force you across the border?

#CWL#CardiffAirport

 

[Jerry]

Bristol is still a massive shadow. As long as a huge percentage of South Wales holidaymakers automatically head down the M4/M5, Cardiff is fighting an uphill battle to secure major hub returns like Qatar Airways.

With airlines like Qatar Airways Bristol isn't the challenge as they don't fly from Bristol. Heathrow and the capacity they have there is the challenge.

but we are still a way off the 1.6 million peak from a few years back.

It'll be a long road to get back to that milestone and will require further investment from airlines like Ryanair and for Cardiff to attract new airlines as well. It needs to be noted as well now that Cardiff has virtually no domestic network so that number will need to be achieved with European and international routes for the most part.

 

[CAN&I]

CARDIFF AIRPORT TERMINAL PASSENGER DATA: APRIL 2026

• Total Monthly PAX April 2026: 68,928 (up 10,467 (+17.9%) YoY)
• Total YtD PAX January to April 2026: 230,902 (up 43,454 (+23.2%) YoY)
• Total RoY PAX May 2025 to April 2026: 997,135 (up 122,136 (+14.0%) YoY)

Significantly, although much was made in the media last month around news that Cardiff Airport had achieved the magic 1 million passenger rolling-year milestone by the end of April, the claim only stands up to scrutiny depending on which set of data is used.

According to the official terminal passenger figures as supplied by the UK CAA Cardiff Airport actually fell tantalisingly short of the marker by just 2,865, despite an impressive 14.0% growth over the same period.

However, when transit passengers are added to the equation, Cardiff Airport did in fact serve a combined total of 1,000,403 terminal and transit passengers over the same period – breaking the magic total by a whisker and beating the same rolling period over the previous year by 122,542 passengers or 14.0%.