Cardiff is now the UK’s fastest growing airport that regularly handles over one million passengers annually - showing that Wales is truly open for business, according to airport chairman Roger Lewis.

The rolling total of passengers flying from Cardiff now stands at 1,302,583 representing 28 per cent passenger growth over the last 12 months (June 2015- June 2016).

Cardiff Airport has delivered 13 consecutive months of growth.

June alone saw an increase of 17 per cent in passengers travelling through the airport versus the same month last year, in what has been a successful and busy start to the summer season.

The airport was boosted by Wales’ success in Euro 2016 with more than 6,000 passengers travelling on charter flights to watch Wales compete in France, and an exciting welcome home event for the team when they flew into Cardiff on July 8.

This news follows on from a number of important announcements from our airlines and operators in recent weeks:

• Thomas Cook has announced it will once again operate direct flights to Orlando for summer 2017

• Newmarket Holidays has added new destinations to its programme for summer 2017, with charter flights operating to Verona, Naples, Venice and Dubrovnik, while Balkan Holidays and Thomson have also released their summer 2017 flying programme

• The winter 2016/17 season will also see additional cruise flights to the Caribbean with P&O Cruises and two departures to Dubai with Thomson so passengers can meet its Celebration cruise ship at the port.

Passengers are taking advantage of an increased choice of destinations, more availability and better timings on key routes, plus airlines are offering greater value for money to fly from Cardiff.

Roger Lewis, chairman of Cardiff Airport, said: “Today we are sending a signal to the world that Wales is well and truly open for business.

“Cardiff Airport is the fastest growing airport in the UK which regularly handles more than one million passengers. We have delivered 13 consecutive months of growth and have achieved 28 per cent growth over the past year.

"Moreover, we are confidently forecasting continued growth for the next two years. We are a national asset for Wales and we intend to expand our activities to reflect this.”

Debra Barber, managing director and chief operating officer at Cardiff Airport, said: “This has been an exciting time for Cardiff Airport’s development, both in terms of passenger growth and improvements to the customer experience.

“We are working closely with our airline partners and are focussed on delivering sustainable growth, so to be UK’s fastest growing large airport really sets us apart from our peers and strengthens our position within the market.

“As the country’s national airport we are proud to see more and more Welsh customers flying through each day, whilst also acting as the gateway to Wales for international visitors. I’m sure that with ongoing success such as this we will see airlines continuing to invest in Wales and increasing choice for our customers.”