Cardiff Airport - General Thread

[Seasider]

Some of the comments were very immature, obviously made by people who know nothing of how an airport is run.

I think that is true for 95% of the population.

 

[Jerry]

There's always been a high expectation of what Cardiff should have route and obviously the airport isn't going to please everyone but I do feel that a lot of the time that a big part of the negativity in general comes from people who wouldn't use the airport anyway. On another forum a person I know has been criticising the airport especially complaining about TUI prices to a Greek destination despite him freely admitting that the main reason he flies from Gatwick is because TUI use or previously used the 787 there. I also sometimes don't think people realise how actually lucky they are having so much choice in what is essentially driveable range airport wise.

 

[Jerry]

Ben Lake MP for Ceredigion today called for a visa processing facility at Cardiff Airport so that refugees can get to Wales quickly and safely

https://twitter.com/x/status/1500886224440987648

It's in connection with potentially Ukrainian refugees being flown into Cardiff from countries like Romania

Cardiff Airport could welcome thousands of Ukrainian refugees | ITV News

Ukrainian airline Wizz Air, which operates in and out of Cardiff, has offered 100,000 free tickets to refugees. | ITV News Wales

www.itv.com

 

[fly4gigs]

Some of the comments were very immature, obviously made by people who know nothing of how an airport is run.

WalesOnline comments are a cesspit, no matter the story.

 

[Jerry]

Went down the airport earlier this morning to do some planespotting. Was nice to see the airport busy again.

 

[Jerry]

Cardiff Airport as a freeport?

Cardiff airport could become a freeport, Welsh Secretary says

The Secretary of State for Wales has said that Cardiff Airport could become a low-tax freeport. The UK Government are currently in negotiations with the Welsh Government about setting up a freeport, in which companies would be taxed very lightly or not at all to encourage economic activity, in...

nation.cymru

 

[Jerry]

This is only an approximation of what winter 2022/23 could look like from Cardiff Airport as some airlines aren't onsale so i've made an educated guess on what their schedule could look like. For the others i've gone from the 1st week of December. I haven't included Eastern because i have my doubts they will be operating from the airport in the future. Hopefully airlines will add more routes and flights.
Just to summarise winter 2022/23 could see 2 based aircraft at the airport, 1 overnighting aircraft, 12 destinations, 59 weekly departures, 17,926 seats onsale.
TUI 1 based 737 8
5 routes 9 weekly departures 3402 seats
Lanzarote 2 weekly
Malaga 1 weekly
Alicante 2 weekly
Gran Canaria 1 weekly
Tenerife 3 weekly
Wizz Air 1 based A321?
6 routes 14 weekly departures 6440 seats (5040 if an A320 is used)
Larnaca 2 weekly
Sharm el Sheikh 2 weekly
Faro 2 weekly
Alicante 2 weekly
Lanzarote 3 weekly
Tenerife 3 weekly
Loganair E145
1 route 6 weekly departures 588 seats
Edinburgh 6 weekly
KLM E175 & E190
1 route 20 weekly departures 3664 seats
Amsterdam 20 weekly
Ryanair 737 8 (this is a assumption that next winter will be the same as this)
1 route 4 weekly departures 1512 seats
Dublin 4 weekly
Vueling A320/A321 ((this is a assumption that next winter will be the same as this)
3 routes 6 weekly departures 2320 seats
Alicante 2 weekly
Malaga 2 weekly
Paris Orly 2 weekly

 

[Jerry]

There is an ACL slot report for Summer 2022 out for Cardiff Airport so i'll screenshot the most important bit then put a link for the rest below that.
View media item 16464

Microsoft Power BI

app.powerbi.com

 

[Jerry]

Cardiff Airport on track for best summer in three years with Wizz Air boost

Cardiff Airport on track for best summer in three years as with Wizz Air boost

Wizz will launch its base at the airport in April

www.business-live.co.uk

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Cardiff Airport on track for best summer in three years with Wizz Air boost

Cardiff Airport on track for best summer in three years as with Wizz Air boost

Wizz will launch its base at the airport in April

www.business-live.co.uk

Makes sense to look seriously at diversifying revenue streams and not rely mainly on passenger traffic-related income. That might never be enough on its own to sustain the sort of national airport the country needs.

2026 might seem a conservative target date by which to regain the pre-pandemic passenger level of 1.6 mppa. Again it would be a prudent move because (a) no-one knows how the industry locally, nationally or international will fare over the next few years (b) CWL struggled more than most in recovering from the 'noughties' major recession although the intransigence of the airport owners at the time compounded the difficulties. In fact, CWL is one of a handful of airports that has never recovered its pre-recession passenger numbers - 2.1 million passengers in 2007.

 

[Jerry]

Makes sense to look seriously at diversifying revenue streams and not rely mainly on passenger traffic-related income. That might never be enough on its own to sustain the sort of national airport the country needs.

2026 might seem a conservative target date by which to regain the pre-pandemic passenger level of 1.6 mppa. Again it would be a prudent move because (a) no-one knows how the industry locally, nationally or international will fare over the next few years (b) CWL struggled more than most in recovering from the 'noughties' major recession although the intransigence of the airport owners at the time compounded the difficulties. In fact, CWL is one of a handful of airports that has never recovered its pre-recession passenger numbers - 2.1 million passengers in 2007.

If the airport as a business is too stand on it's own 2 feet it does need to diversify. With regards to the passenger numbers with the cost of living crisis it might be wise to be cautious as the one thing people may take less of are holidays which will effect all airports but no doubt the smaller ones the most.

 

[Jerry]

Nice to see the airport starting to get busier again with 8 departures for today including Faro with Ryanair and Malaga with Vueling back, tomorrow sees Wednesday now have 4! departures instead of 1 with TUI's Paphos, Loganair's Edinburgh and Ryanair's Malaga routes also resuming. I know it doesn't sound much but it does show that the airport is starting to come back to life and of course in 10 days time will have a new based airline start.

 

[geoff]

BBC news reporting yesterday on the CWL- Valley service, questions being asked on its future by the opposition SMs, the Conservatives want it to run whilst the taxpayers are subsiding it, whilst Plaid Cymru want it to continue and preserve the connection between North and South Wales. The Labour government said an announcement will be made in due course.

 

[Jerry]

BBC news reporting yesterday on the CWL- Valley service, questions being asked on its future by the opposition SMs, the Conservatives want it to run whilst the taxpayers are subsiding it, whilst Plaid Cymru want it to continue and preserve the connection between North and South Wales. The Labour government said an announcement will be made in due course.

They've been saying that an announcement will be made in due course for quite a while now!

 

[geoff]

I think they are trying to put off the inevitable, the people in the North won't like it they feel remote from Cardiff as it is. The pity of it is, the figures on the route were improving at the time it was pulled.

 

[Jerry]

I think they are trying to put off the inevitable, the people in the North won't like it they feel remote from Cardiff as it is. The pity of it is, the figures on the route were improving at the time it was pulled.

I wonder if they are leaving any announcement until after the local elections in May as like you said it could be used as a general point against in northern councils.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Looking further at CWL’s recovery plan, it seems a prudent course in one sense with a return to pre-pandemic passenger levels not factored in until 2026, together with diversification bringing less reliance on passenger-related income.

I have one what I regard as an important caveat.

Competitors might grow much more quickly which would leave CWL trailing further behind, even if passenger traffic assumed a less important aspect of the business in the future.

I suppose many people look at Bristol Airport when ‘competitor’ is mentioned. Whenever a CWL story appears in the local press it is invariably accompanied by numerous public comments, many of them concerning BRS which shows the relevance of that airport in the psyche of sections of the Welsh travelling public.

This summer easyJet will base up to 17 aircraft at BRS plus the equivalent of two more operating from other bases (their biggest ever BRS programme); TUI will have up to 6 based as will Jet2; Ryanair will have 4 based plus the equivalent of two more operating from other bases.

Further 2023 growth is already being announced.

Can CWL therefore afford not to be more aggressive in its passenger recovery plans? A 3-4 aircraft Wizz Air base ought have a good chance of putting some obstruction in the continual passenger leakage across the estuary.

 

[Jerry]

Competitors might grow much more quickly which would leave CWL trailing further behind

I suppose it's something out of CWLs control to an extent but more competition at BRS could potentially mean that airlines like Ryanair might look to expand at CWL instead. If the airport is to stem some of the flow over the bridge the goal does need to be a 3rd based Wizz aircraft, potentially if they grow by an aircraft a year then could that happen by 2025 instead of 2026?

 

[Jerry]

Cardiff Airport boss Spencer Birns on a new Wizz Air base and passenger recovery

Cardiff Airport boss Spencer Birns on a new Wizz Air base and passenger recovery

While hopeful that Qatar Airways will resume its Cardiff to Doha route the chief executive said it might not happen until 2024

t.co

 

[Jerry]

In the article in the post above Spencer Birns mentions what used to be based at Cardiff aircraft wise.
"When Bmibaby had a base here they had three aircrafts and at the same time we had TUI with three, First Choice and XL Airways with one each, and Airtours with two."
At the moment Cardiff will have 3 TUI and 1 Wizz compared to 10 based aircraft previously. Just makes me wonder if we'll ever see that amount of based aircraft again.