Cardiff: Route Development & Rumours

[Jerry]

Wasn't CWL one of the domestic routes that the LHR CEO said would be operated if runway 3 goes ahead? He would still have to find an airline willing and able to operate the route though.

I think it was yes but like you said you need an airline willing to operate the route. Its noticeable that Virgin didn't include Cardiff on it's proposed list of routes for it's hub.

 

[Jerry]

On the other forum it's been stated that Lauda will announce new UK routes from Mallorca tomorrow or Wednesday. Fingers crossed Cardiff is included.

 

[Jerry]

Fingers crossed!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1186547988673503232

 

[Pontyboy]

This is very much needed for pax numbers and for the PR of the airport. Hope it is at least 3 weekly.....just goes to show how long VY have sat on the route without really growing. They could easily be daily on PMI. Their loss.

 

[Tinkerman]

That’s big news, and a further show of faith in the airport by the Ryanair Group.

Makes perfect sense to me, wasn’t aware of this one!

 

[Jerry]

Just to clarify at the moment it is only a rumour. But fingers crossed it turns into fact!
But if it does turn out to be true even 2 weekly flights helps to replace the TCX capacity and it can be spinned as a new airline as well for good pr.

 

[geoff]

Perhaps the Lauda rumour was just that, let's hope for the best.

 

[Jerry]

Perhaps the Lauda rumour was just that, let's hope for the best.

Yeah could be or just a later launch than thought? Keeping fingers crossed!
I have checked out Bournemouth and they only have PMI loaded 2 weekly on Tuesday and Wednesday with just Ryanair so hopefully clarification will be sooner rather than later.

 

[Jerry]

Fingers crossed!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1186547988673503232

Hopefully this will be announced in the next few weeks. Apparently the TUI announcement has delayed the launch.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Tenerife South

Jet2 will open a summer base next year. I suppose they might be operating some flights to UK airports that aren't themselves Jet2 bases, so if Ryanair doesn't restore the TFS link perhaps Jet2 will step in.

Jet2 to open new base at Tenerife South

Jet2 to open new base at Tenerife South. Read this and thousands of other news stories and articles on thinkSPAIN, the leading English language website for Spain.

www.thinkspain.com

 

[Jerry]

Jet2 will open a summer base next year. I suppose they might be operating some flights to UK airports that aren't themselves Jet2 bases, so if Ryanair doesn't restore the TFS link perhaps Jet2 will step in.

Would be great if they would do that. Probably the most likeliest way of getting Jet2 to operate to Cardiff at the moment.

 

[superking]

Jet 2 have moved a aircraft to TFS this winter season from ALC.They will keep this aircraft in TFS for next summer as a standby aircraft.Also TUI do the same this winter with a aircraft on standby. It makes sense as there is a lot of flights to the Canaries.

 

[Foxlimayankee]

I wouldn't read too much into this. Apparently it is only a standby aircraft. That being said, I do think the Southwest region is edging ever closer to a Jet2 base. EZY have taken most, if not all of TCX's slots at BRS which means that slot quota is still pretty used up. That could be a deterrent for Jet2 going to BRS. They will know their customer base, and if they are attracting people to BHX from South Wales and the Southwest, there's no reason why they won't attract people from the Southwest to CWL. There's now less competition at BRS, so although in some degree this will effect CWL as well, prices at BRS will likely go up. As long as prices increase more at BRS than at CWL, it may discourage people from South Wales in booking BRS flights over CWL flights.
Whilst it's a huge shame to not see TCX anymore, I think TUI, VY and FR at CWL will do quite well out of this, which may stem growth.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I wouldn't read too much into this. Apparently it is only a standby aircraft. That being said, I do think the Southwest region is edging ever closer to a Jet2 base. EZY have taken most, if not all of TCX's slots at BRS which means that slot quota is still pretty used up. That could be a deterrent for Jet2 going to BRS. They will know their customer base, and if they are attracting people to BHX from South Wales and the Southwest, there's no reason why they won't attract people from the Southwest to CWL. There's now less competition at BRS, so although in some degree this will effect CWL as well, prices at BRS will likely go up. As long as prices increase more at BRS than at CWL, it may discourage people from South Wales in booking BRS flights over CWL flights.
Whilst it's a huge shame to not see TCX anymore, I think TUI, VY and FR at CWL will do quite well out of this, which may stem growth.

That would suggest then that BRS which is currently around 8.9 mppa will be maxed out in terms of slots if/when it reaches 10 mppa, its current planning consent limit. Yet the airport is asking for the 10 mppa limit to be raised to 12 mppa which it thinks it will reach by the mid 2020s.

How will it ever get to that figure if it can't handle more based aircraft, whether Jet2 or someone else? This is a genuine question not a rhetorical one. Several additional aircraft stands have been built in recent years and more are planned under existing planning approvals so parking should not be a problem. The owners have already ploughed in hundreds of millions of pounds on infrastructure developments over the past 20 years and continue to spend significant amounts of money there - a great deal more if their current planning application is approved which is by no means certain and might have to go via the Planning Inspectorate route.

About ten years ago I remember my alter ego saying on either WAN or WAF that CWL's best chance of substantial passenger growth might be for BRS to reach its 10 mppa limit as quickly as possible and be prevented from growing beyond that, either because of local authority intransigence or for operational reasons. The annual passenger limit might be reached in the next couple of years, possibly slightly sooner.

Given CWL's history of struggling a bit in winter Jet2 might be a good fit. They seem to operate fewer daily rotations per aircraft in summer than easyJet and Ryanair, and in winter quite a lot less.

 

[Foxlimayankee]

It was more an assumption that the increased passenger numbers would come from daytime slots outside of the night quota and non-based aircraft operating during the day, something that I can't see interesting Jet2. I was told a while back that unless Jet2 can get hold of the slots suitable for their operation to support at least 2 based aircraft then it's unlikely they will be interested. That being said, the demise of TCX may be a game changer and they may want in.

 

[Jerry]

Maybe a slim hope for Cardiff Airport that they'll replace some of the lost TCX capacity.

Dnata's new charters to focus on regional airports, Bevan confirms

Flights are set to be on sale before Christmas

www.ttgmedia.com

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Maybe a slim hope for Cardiff Airport that they'll replace some of the lost TCX capacity.

Dnata's new charters to focus on regional airports, Bevan confirms

Flights are set to be on sale before Christmas

www.ttgmedia.com

I'm not clear whether they intend to take seats on existing flights or contract airlines specifically to carry their passengers. They don't seem to operate their own airline although dnata appears to be owned by the Emirates Group.

 

[Jerry]

I'm not clear whether they intend to take seats on existing flights or contract airlines specifically to carry their passengers. They don't seem to operate their own airline although dnata appears to be owned by the Emirates Group.

It's not that specific is it but I'd have thought they'd look to charter their own aircraft rather than use other's.

 

[Jerry]

I suppose we can hope!

Einn nýr áfangastaður í Evrópu

Flugáætlun Icelandair fyrir árið 2020 liggur nú fyrir með flugi til 40 áfangstaða. Áætlað er að einn nýr áfangastaður í Evrópu verði kynntur á næstu vikum.

www.mbl.is

 

[mathers_wales_uk]

I suppose we can hope!

Einn nýr áfangastaður í Evrópu

Flugáætlun Icelandair fyrir árið 2020 liggur nú fyrir með flugi til 40 áfangstaða. Áætlað er að einn nýr áfangastaður í Evrópu verði kynntur á næstu vikum.

www.mbl.is

Sorry don’t understand Icelandic. What are we praying for?