Half a million people have used Cork Airport already this year.

And with extremely strong demand for international travel over the Easter period, airport staff are preparing for an influx of 102,000 passengers in the coming week.

Over 45,000 passengers will travel over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend alone, as thousands of families jet off for a break to coincide with the school holidays.

This Friday, Cork Airport will welcome the return of the twice-weekly service to Zurich, Switzerland – operated by Edelweiss, on behalf of SWISS International Air Lines.

The service, which will operate on Friday and Monday will provide direct connectivity to the largest city in Switzerland, with its vibrant Old Town and scenic location along the Limmat River, on the shores of Lake Zurich.

“We’re in full swing for the summer at Cork Airport and we expect to welcome more than 2.5 million passengers this year,” said Managing Director at Cork Airport, Niall MacCarthy.

“We have lots of new routes, but most importantly, the convenience of using Cork Airport and the friendliness of our staff is our unique proposition to passengers right across the South of Ireland.”

Passengers travelling from Cork over Easter are advised to arrive at the airport at least 90 minutes before their flight is due to depart but you can rest assured that delays are unlikely; in March, 99 percent of passengers cleared security screening in less than 20 minutes.