Cardiff Airport - General Thread

[TheLocalYokel]

Looks like the day 2 return PCR tests will remain for now, not exactly sure how they can police it though with an open border. Not good news really for Cardiff Airport I'd say.

Welsh Government confirms international travel changes and calls for PCR test retention | GOV.WALES

The Welsh Government has confirmed it will merge the green and amber travel lists into one and remove the requirement for pre-departure testing for those fully vaccinated.

gov.wales

I'm not sure that much has changed from the WG's original comments on the UK government abolishing the requirement for PCR tests for people arriving from abroad in England.

The WG still says it is yet to make a decision on this for those entering Wales. It continues to oppose the UK government's decision and is still asking for it to be reversed.

The WG also reiterates that it recognises the enforcement 'challenges' if it retains PCR testing for those arriving from abroad in Wales.

 

[Jerry]

Visit Wales and the Welsh Government have released a document about the future of tourism into Wales and about how they are going to help it's recovery.
Interesting stat about international visits into Wales in 2019. There were1,023,000 international trips to Wales, an increase of 3.6%. Visitor spending was £515 million, which was an 18.8% increase on the same time in 2018. But in 2021 Visit Britain has forecasted that the amount of international visitors and international visitor spending will be 72% less than 2019.
I don't know whether it means anything but Cardiff Airport isn't mentioned in this.

https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2021-03/lets-shape-the-future_0.pdf

 

[KARFA]

Still advising against any international travel which is non-essential for Wales

https://twitter.com/x/status/1442403951597408257

 

[Jerry]

Still advising against any international travel which is non-essential for Wales

https://twitter.com/x/status/1442403951597408257

Which I know people are ignoring.

 

[KARFA]

Good. It is frankly stupid advice and most see it as such, hence they are ignoring it.

 

[A400]

Good on them it’s getting pathetic now. It’s ridiculous that they still advise against international travel. I wonder how they’ll explain this to CWL airport which their decision is making it difficult for them and airlines.

 

[geoff]

What is amazing about the recent announcements from RYR and VY, is that nobody from the Welsh Government has made any comment on the success of Spencer Birns and his team, in persuading these airlines to begin these services from CWL, In the past the previous First Minister and the Transport Minister would be singing the praises of the airport. The airport is now truly being run at arms length from the Welsh Government, putting the Transport brief into the Minister for climate change was a very big mistake.

 

[Jerry]

No doubt the Climate Change Minister and her deputy wouldn't see it as a good look to be congratulating the airport for attracting flights to Dublin and Paris. That's if either actually cared about the flights returning in the first place neither route nor the airlines are exactly prestigious. Wonder if thing's would be different if it was Doha and New York?

 

[geoff]

I think they are all afraid to speak out, as anything that may pollute the air is seen as against Government policy.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I note there are news items about these routes on the airport's website, and presumably on their Twitter and Facebook pages (I don't do social media).

Given that the WG makes great play about its ownership being through an arm's-length company it might be more appropriate for the chairman of the company to draw public attention to the good work of the airport's senior management.

Incidentally, has the new chairman - he's been there for a while now - made many public utterances about the airport since taking office? Roger Lewis was always ensuring the airport was in the minds of the people of Wales. The present incumbent seems to be following the lead of a previous WG airport company chairman, Lord Rowe-Beddoe, in keeping a low public profile when it comes to airport matters.

That said there might be something in the comments you have both made about the WG not being too openly supportive of its airport company's work because of the increasing focus on climate change.

 

[Jerry]

So far this is what they airlines will be offering during winter 2021/22 from Cardiff. I've used the first week of December. It's in weekly departures.
Loganair
Edinburgh 4 weekly
Eastern Airways
Anglesey 10 weekly
Belfast City 6 weekly
KLM
Amsterdam 20 weekly
Vueling
Alicante 2 weekly
Malaga 2 weekly
Ryanair
Dublin 4 weekly
TUI
Lanzarote 2 weekly
Malaga 1 weekly
Alicante 2 weekly
Gran Canaria 1 weekly
Tenerife 3 weekly
In total that's 57 weekly departures and 5693 departing seats.

So far this is what they airlines will be offering during winter 2021/22 from Cardiff. I've used the first week of December. It's in weekly departures. Updated 10/10/21
Loganair
Edinburgh 4 weekly
Eastern Airways
Anglesey 10 weekly (not operating until late February so not included in the total which is from peak December)
Belfast City 4 weekly (only temporary until January)
Southampton 4 weekly (only temporary until January)
KLM
Amsterdam 20 weekly
Vueling
Alicante 2 weekly
Malaga 2 weekly
Paris Orly 2 weekly
Ryanair
Dublin 4 weekly
TUI
Lanzarote 2 weekly
Malaga 1 weekly
Alicante 2 weekly
Gran Canaria 1 weekly
Tenerife 3 weekly
In total that's 51 weekly departures and 6147 departing seats.

 

[Jerry]

Just a look at what the airlines have onsale from Cardiff for peak Summer 2022
Loganair
294 departing seats 6 weekly flights
Edinburgh 6 weekly
Eastern Airways
464 departing seats 16 weekly flights
Anglesey 10 weekly
Belfast City 6 weekly
KLM
1760 departing seats 20 weekly flights
Amsterdam 20 weekly
Vueling
2418 departing seats 13 weekly flights
Alicante 6 weekly
Palma de Mallorca 3 weekly
Malaga 4 weekly
Ryanair
1512 departing seats 8 weekly flights
Dublin 4 weekly
Faro 2 weekly
Malaga 2 weekly
Wizz Air
3680 departing seats 16 weekly flights
Larnaca 2 weekly
Corfu 2 weekly
Heraklion 3 weekly
Faro 2 weekly
Alicante 2 weekly
Palma de Mallorca 2 weekly
Tenerife 3 weekly
TUI
8505 departing seats 45 weekly flights
Bourgas 2 weekly
Dubrovnik 1 weekly
Larnaca 1 weekly
Paphos 2 weekly
Corfu 2 weekly
Kefalonia 1 weekly
Heraklion 1 weekly
Kos 2 weekly
Rhodes 2 weekly
Zante 2 weekly
Naples 1 weekly
Lanzarote 2 weekly
Malaga 2 weekly
Alicante 2 weekly
Ibiza 3 weekly
Gran Canaria 1 weekly
Menorca 2 weekly
Palma de Mallorca 6 weekly
Reus 1 weekly
Tenerife 3 weekly
Enfidha 1 weekly
Antalya 2 weekly
Dalaman 3 weekly
Balkan Holidays
180 departing seats 1 weekly flight
Bourgas 1 weekly
Total departing seats 18,813 (total seats 37,626) 125 weekly departures (250 weekly movements)
If things remain unchanged it means that CWL will also have 6 based/overnighting aircraft. 1 J41, 1 E175, 1 A321 and 3 737 800s.

 

[geoff]

Jerry, all being well, perhaps we could add Vueling to Paris, BALKAN holidays to Bourgas, and perhaps an extra Dublin flight, I realise that what you have collated are routes which have already been advertised, but I'm always hoping for more.

 

[Jerry]

Jerry, all being well, perhaps we could add Vueling to Paris, BALKAN holidays to Bourgas, and perhaps an extra Dublin flight, I realise that what you have collated are routes which have already been advertised, but I'm always hoping for more.

Completely forgot about Balkan holidays! I'll add them now.
Yes hopefully more will be added from the likes of Vueling, Ryanair, Wizz and Loganair

 

[geoff]

We can live in hope, but if it all goes to plan we should see a turn for the better next summer.

 

[Foxlimayankee]

Thanks Jerry.
Some rough calculations for annual passenger numbers:
Based on a
12 week start of 2022 winter - 147,528
31 week summer - 1,166,406
9 week end of 2022 winter* - 190,494

Estimated 2022 - 1,504,428

*End of 2022 winter based on having VY ORY, FR DUB and Wizz Winter schedule as per 16 flights a week as per summer figures.

Throw in a few ad-hoc holiday charters/cruise flights and sports/rugby charters and 1.5m should hopefully be achieved in terms of actual passenger numbers rather than available seats.

 

[Jerry]

Thanks Jerry.
Some rough calculations for annual passenger numbers:
Based on a
12 week start of 2022 winter - 147,528
31 week summer - 1,166,406
9 week end of 2022 winter* - 190,494

Estimated 2022 - 1,504,428

*End of 2022 winter based on having VY ORY, FR DUB and Wizz Winter schedule as per 16 flights a week as per summer figures.

Throw in a few ad-hoc holiday charters/cruise flights and sports/rugby charters and 1.5m should hopefully be achieved in terms of actual passenger numbers rather than available seats.

If the airport could achieve around 1.5 million passengers in 2022 i think that would be fantastic considering the loss of Flybe, Thomas Cook (though Wizz essentially replaces them) and the pandemic. That wouldn't be far off the total for 2019 which was 1.65 million passengers for a year. Also need to consider that the airport is still short of capacity on Edinburgh (Flybe sold over 100,000 seat in 2019) and Dublin (though far less with Ryanair) compared to Flybe and airport still has routes like Jersey and Glasgow that hopefully may return one day. The airport would be at a much better position for it's post pandemic recovery than it was in 2013 when the WG took over.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

1.5 million would be 90% of 2019's figures.

The latest IATA projection (October 2021) is for global travel in 2022 to achieve 61% of 2019's levels.

If IATA is broadly correct and your projection for CWL is too, either the UK will be an outstanding exception or CWL will recover more quickly than many other UK airports.

https://www.iata.org/en/iata-repository/publications/economic-reports/airline-industry-economic-performance---october-2021---report/#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20the%20pace%20of,%25%20of%20pre%2D%20crisis%20levels.

 

[Jerry]

The latest IATA projection (October 2021) is for global travel in 2022 to achieve 61% of 2019's levels

That would mean the airport would do roughly 1.1 million passengers in 2022.

If IATA is broadly correct and your projection for CWL is too, either the UK will be an outstanding exception or CWL will recover more quickly than many other UK airports

If you look at CWL network it is mostly european short haul holiday destinations so i'd have thought they'd recover better than long haul travel would.

 

[geoff]

1.5 million would be a fantastic result for 2022, it would be a massive shot in the arm for CWL.