Flight and holiday programmes by Tui and Thomas Cook plus budget airline growth helped Bristol airport achieve the busiest month in its history in August
A total of 768,587 passengers were handled, up 6% on the same month last year.
It was the first time that numbers have topped the 750,000 mark in a single month.
Thomson Airways added a third aircraft to its Bristol-based fleet in May, opening up new destinations including Dubrovnik, Pula and Santorini.
Thomas Cook operates two Airbus A321s to 20 destinations from the airport.
New easyJet flights to Bilbao, Isle of Man, Porto, Gibraltar, Lanzarote, Catania and Zante all started earlier this year. Wizz Air made its debut at Bristol in June with twice weekly flights to Katowice in Poland.
Inbound traffic also received a boost with the high profile opening of Banksy’s Dismaland in nearby Weston-super-Mare. This is expected to attract visitors on scheduled services from across the UK and Europe, as well as private charter flights.
An enlarged departure lounge opened in July and work is underway on a second major extension to the terminal to improve the security search and arrivals areas next year.
Wizz Air launches a new service to Kosice in Slovakia in October while easyJet flights to Vienna and Basle start in November.
The Rugby World Cup in September and October is expected to provide a further boost to inbound passenger numbers.
Airport chief executive, Robert Sinclair, said: “The growing number of passengers choosing Bristol airport demonstrates the strong demand for air travel to and from the south-west and Wales and underlines why we continue to invest in enhancing facilities for passengers.
“By combining a comprehensive route network with a friendly and efficient airport experience we want to be the number one choice when customers in our region are making their travel plans.”