Passenger numbers at Liverpool John Lennon Airport are up 18% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023 and is on track to exceed 5m for the year. Tony McDonough reports
Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA) now looks almost certain to break through the 5m passengers barrier in 2024, according to the latest figures.
In the first three months of 2024 it handled more than 923,500 passengers. This is 18% higher than the 783,191 carried in the first quarter of 2023. During the quarter the airport handled 10,256 flights.
In January 273,561 passengers passed through the airport, compared to 239,480 in 2023. In February the figure was just shy of 300,000, against almost 256,000 in February 2023 and in March there was just under 300,000 against 287,818 last year.
Most popular destinations during the three-month period were Dublin, Belfast, Alicante, Geneva, Tenerife and Alicante.
LJLA handled just under 4.2m passengers in 2023. An 18% rise would leave it just under 5m but the arrival of Jet2 and its 20-plus extra routes right at the end of March will almost certainly push the airport through the 5m barrier.
Jet2 will operate up to 54 weekly flights in the summer, including 12 weekly flights to both the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands. For the winter period it will also offer eight destinations. This summer alone will see 565,000 seats on offer.
As a result of the huge demand for flights Jet2 has already added more routes and aircraft to their programme for summer 2025 with three extra destinations to Malaga, Malta and Reus and more than 730,000 seats on sale.
And in the last few days Ryanair has announced it is adding three new routes to its summer 2024 schedule out of Liverpool, taking the total to 32 in an investment worth £80m.
Paul Winfield, Liverpool John Lennon Airport‘s aviation director, told LBN: “It has been an encouraging first quarter of 2024 with passenger numbers strongly exceeding prior year.
“Increases in capacity from our existing airline partners show confidence in the market, whilst new routes to Hurghada and Rovaniemi have proven particularly popular. We look forward to continuing the positive trend throughout 2024 and beyond.”