The airport says its development strategy is working

Record growth during its winter season saw more than 600,000 travellers use the south Wales airport between last November and April, the Civil Aviation Authority has revealed.

In April alone, more than 128,000 people flew from Cardiff - 69% more than the previous year.

The rise in numbers comes despite the fact that British Airways withdrew its operations from the airport - to both UK and European destinations - in January

The airport sees the news as evidence that its development strategy is paying off.

It said last autumn's arrival of budget airline bmibaby has been a factor.

Bmibaby - which made Cardiff its second UK hub after East Midlands Airport - now services 11 destinations from Cardiff.

Cardiff has begun to demonstrate some of the true potential for its future Jon Horne, managing director

The airport says it is looking to see what further improvements can be made when road and rail links to the airport in the Vale of Glamorgan are boosted.

A rail link from Cardiff to a nearby terminus in Rhoose is due to open later in the year.

"We are seeing signs of new passengers from the south west and south Midlands as both business and leisure travellers begin to recognise Cardiff as a real alternative to other more distant airports," said the airport's managing director Jon Horne.

"The increased availabilty of low fares, brand new routes and greater flexibility has meant that Cardiff has begun to demonstrate some of the true potential for its future."

Rival airports

However, the man behind a plan to site an intercontinental airport a few miles away in the Severn Estuary said the 1.25m visitors a year throughput at Cardiff was actually very small in air traffic terms.

UK Transport Secretary Alistair Darling is due to decide later in the year whether the plan for the �2bn Severnside airport can go ahead.

Other applications have also been submitted for airports in the south east of England.

The airport would have its terminals on part of the redundant Corus steelworks at Llanwern, Newport. The runways would be on a man-made island in the Severn Estuary.

Severnside's chairman Michael Stephen said Newport Council had passed a resolution supporting the concept of the new airport.