Almost 480,000 passengers passed through the airport during the month – a rise of 2% on May last year and boosted by new routes and the Champions League final

Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA) handled 10,000 more passengers in May than during the same month in. 2018.

Almost 480,000 passengers passed through the airport during May – a year-on-year rise of 2% and the figure was boosted by Liverpool fans heading off early to Madrid, direct and via other destinations, for the Champions League final.

The match itself, which saw Liverpool beat Tottenham 2-0, took place on the evening of June 1 so most of the fans flying to see the game will be included in the passenger figures for June.

May also saw Blue Islands start its new twice-weekly Guernsey service from LJLA and Ryanair has now started its new summer 2019 services to Copenhagen and Corfu, with more new routes still to come.

Wizz Air’s three times weekly service to Varna in Bulgaria starts next month and Lauda’s twice-weekly Vienna service is due to start at the end of October.

Paul Winfield, director of aviation development at LJLA, said: “We are delighted after reaching 5.1m passengers during 2018, to continue our growth to date during 2019.

“With three new airlines operating from here and more than 70 destinations now served, Liverpool John Lennon Airport provides a faster easier, friendlier option for passengers across the North West region during 2019.”