Cardiff: General Airport Discussion & Updates

[Jerry]

Cardiff Airport shares update on 2025 destinations

Cardiff Airport shares update on 2025 destinations

Cardiff Airport has shared an update on 34 destinations available for customers to fly direct to throughout 2025. Whether it is a city break, a beach escape, or visiting loved ones, Cardiff Airport say they are “here to make travel dreams come true”. In an updated news item, the Welsh airport...

nation.cymru

 

[Nigel B]

Nice to see so many wide body aircraft on the ground.

 

[Jerry]

Nice to see so many wide body aircraft on the ground.

All 4 engine ones as well.

 

[geoff]

Another ONEAIR 747 due in at 10.47 this morning from Budapest, the one at present on the ground at CWL also came in from Budapest. What's the attraction at CWL at the moment? is it cheaper parking fees. Still the more movements the better, all are welcome from a financial point of view.

 

[Jerry]

Another ONEAIR 747 due in at 10.47 this morning from Budapest, the one at present on the ground at CWL also came in from Budapest. What's the attraction at CWL at the moment? is it cheaper parking fees. Still the more movements the better, all are welcome from a financial point of view.

Isn't this engine maintenance?

 

[geoff]

I don't know Jerry, it could well be. They could be serviced by GE at Treforest, or Airfin in Caerphilly County, it would certainly make more sense if that was the reason.

 

[Jerry]

I'm a fan of articles like this because it tends to lead to people criticising the airport and accusing it of twisting the truth.

Cardiff Airport -

cardiff-airport.com

 

[Jerry]

This is what the departure board will look like for Cardiff Airport for Summer 2025
In total 93 weekly departures, 27 destinations and 7 airlines.
Monday 14 departures
06.00 Enfidha TUI
06.00 Dalaman TUI
06.35 Menorca TUI
09.50 Amsterdam KLM
11.35 Alicante Vueling
12.00 Belfast City Aer Lingus
13.10 Dublin Ryanair
13.45 Tenerife TUI
14.45 Antalya TUI
15.10 Corfu TUI (non based)
16.55 Bourgas TUI
17.00 Faro Ryanair
17.15 Amsterdam KLM
21.15 Malaga Ryanair
Tuesday 14 departures
06.00 Alicante TUI
06.00 Palma de Mallorca TUI
06.00 Reus TUI
09.50 Amsterdam KLM
12.00 Belfast City Aer Lingus
13.05 Kefalonia TUI
13.25 Tenerife TUI
14.30 Zante TUI
16.20 Dublin Ryanair
17.10 Alicante Ryanair
17.15 Amsterdam KLM
19.00 Alicante Vueling
20.15 Edinburgh Loganair
22.40 Palma de Mallorca TUI
Wednesday 10 departures
06.00 Kos TUI
06.00 Malaga TUI
07.05 Ibiza TUI
09.50 Amsterdam KLM
12.00 Belfast City Aer Lingus
13.40 Paphos TUI
14.35 Rhodes TUI
16.25 Dalaman TUI
17.15 Amsterdam KLM
20.30 Malaga Vueling
Thursday 15 departures
06.00 Bourgas TUI
06.00 Heraklion TUI
06.00 Lanzarote TUI
07.55 Dublin Ryanair
09.50 Amsterdam KLM
10.25 Tenerife Ryanair
11.20 Faro Ryanair
12.00 Belfast City Aer Lingus
13.45 Palma de Mallorca TUI (non based)
14.15 Dubrovnik TUI (non based)
16.00 Larnaca TUI
16.00 Antalya TUI
16.45 Dalaman TUI
17.15 Amsterdam KLM
20.15 Edinburgh Loganair
Friday 14 departures
06.00 Menorca TUI
06.25 Palma de Mallorca TUI
06.45 Enfidha TUI
09.00 Belfast City Aer Lingus
09.30 Antalya Freebird Airlines? tbc
09.50 Amsterdam KLM
12.25 Dublin Ryanair
13.20 Corfu TUI
13.30 Zante TUI
15.20 Tenerife TUI
17.15 Amsterdam KLM
19.25 Alicante Ryanair
19.45 Edinburgh Loganair
20.40 Malaga Ryanair
Saturday 14 departures
06.15 Ibiza TUI
06.45 Alicante TUI
07.00 Palma de Mallorca TUI
09.00 Dublin Ryanair
09.00 Bourgas Balkan Holidays
09.45 Amsterdam KLM
12.00 Belfast City Aer Lingus
13.15 Kos TUI
13.15 Alicante Vueling
13.55 Gran Canaria
14.35 Rhodes TUI
15.00 Malaga Vueling
16.50 Malaga Ryanair
17.35 Amsterdam Eastern Airways
Sunday 12 departures
06.00 Lanzarote TUI
06.25 Malaga TUI
07.00 Palma de Mallorca TUI
09.50 Amsterdam KLM (German Airways between 29/6/25 to 24/8/25)
11.00 Dublin Ryanair
12.00 Belfast City Aer Lingus
13.50 Larnaca TUI
14.15 Heraklion TUI
15.55 Paphos TUI
16.55 Alicante Ryanair
17.20 Amsterdam KLM
20.45 Edinburgh Loganair

 

[geoff]

Is Edinburgh being kept at 4 a week for the whole of the summer? Their CEO was talking a few weeks ago of, potential of Loganair routes from CWL.

 

[Jerry]

Is Edinburgh being kept at 4 a week for the whole of the summer? Their CEO was talking a few weeks ago of, potential of Loganair routes from CWL.

It's 5 weekly April, May, September and October. 4 weekly June, July and most of August.
The amount of flights don't exactly go with the rhetoric.

 

[Samdorob]

It's 5 weekly April, May, September and October. 4 weekly June, July and most of August.
The amount of flights don't exactly go with the rhetoric.

Neither do the load factors when he was bigging up the success of Loganair at Cardiff!

 

[Jerry]

Neither do the load factors when he was bigging up the success of Loganair at Cardiff!

To be fair to Loganair they operate differently and focus more on profit per passenger.

 

[Jarvo]

The departure boards for today (Wednesday) are absolutely dire. A 10:20 KLM to Amsterdam. A 12:00 Aer Lingus to Belfast and a 17:25 KLM to Amsterdam.
With 5 trains a day, Sugar Loaf train station has more available seats leaving it. Even if you include the, by all accounts, empty cargo flight leaving for urumqi.... Let's be real, there's no financially viable way to operate a 24 hr airport with a revenue stream like that.
What a difference 6 years makes from the Flybe / QR days.

 

[Samdorob]

The departure boards for today (Wednesday) are absolutely dire. A 10:20 KLM to Amsterdam. A 12:00 Aer Lingus to Belfast and a 17:25 KLM to Amsterdam.
With 5 trains a day, Sugar Loaf train station has more available seats leaving it. Even if you include the, by all accounts, empty cargo flight leaving for urumqi.... Let's be real, there's no financially viable way to operate a 24 hr airport with a revenue stream like that.
What a difference 6 years makes from the Flybe / QR days.

It should be slightly improved next week when TUI kick off their Paphos flight. but I agree, it’s certainly not great. It’s a similar situation at Exeter and Bournemouth where the Wednesday schedule is greatly reduced compared to other days of the week.

 

[Jerry]

The departure boards for today (Wednesday) are absolutely dire. A 10:20 KLM to Amsterdam. A 12:00 Aer Lingus to Belfast and a 17:25 KLM to Amsterdam.
With 5 trains a day, Sugar Loaf train station has more available seats leaving it. Even if you include the, by all accounts, empty cargo flight leaving for urumqi.... Let's be real, there's no financially viable way to operate a 24 hr airport with a revenue stream like that.
What a difference 6 years makes from the Flybe / QR days.

It will pick up for the summer but if the airlines aren't willing to operate the flights on that day and in general what can the airport do? Loganair being an example. It can't force them and the government is adamant that Wales must have a functioning airport.

 

[Foxlimayankee]

The departure boards for today (Wednesday) are absolutely dire. A 10:20 KLM to Amsterdam. A 12:00 Aer Lingus to Belfast and a 17:25 KLM to Amsterdam.
With 5 trains a day, Sugar Loaf train station has more available seats leaving it. Even if you include the, by all accounts, empty cargo flight leaving for urumqi.... Let's be real, there's no financially viable way to operate a 24 hr airport with a revenue stream like that.
What a difference 6 years makes from the Flybe / QR days.

Wednesday in Winter has been like that for years. It comes from most flights being non-based where airlines can operate just on the busier days where there's more demand.
If there was a based scheduled airline then they'd have to operate Wednesday flights rather than having an aircraft sat around all day.

 

[Jerry]

Not sure what to make of this article

Can Cardiff Airport take flight?

Professor Stuart Cole, CBE. Emeritus Professor of Transport (Economics and Policy), Prifysgol de Cymru / University of South Wales Even before the Welsh Government bought Cardiff Airport in 2013 for £52 million, the former RAF Roose airfield has attracted controversy. Since the take over...

nation.cymru

Not sure what to make of this article

Can Cardiff Airport take flight?

Professor Stuart Cole, CBE. Emeritus Professor of Transport (Economics and Policy), Prifysgol de Cymru / University of South Wales Even before the Welsh Government bought Cardiff Airport in 2013 for £52 million, the former RAF Roose airfield has attracted controversy. Since the take over...

nation.cymru

Have to question the success of any of these goals. Especially connectivity.

 

[geoff]

When I read the article in Nation Cymru, it was the type of article written by an academic rather than someone from the aviation industry. He pointed out mistakes made by the Welsh Government, and quotes from various politicians over the last few years, but nothing about potential routes or airlines.

 

[Jerry]

When I read the article in Nation Cymru, it was the type of article written by an academic rather than someone from the aviation industry. He pointed out mistakes made by the Welsh Government, and quotes from various politicians over the last few years, but nothing about potential routes or airlines.

And then mentioned other much bigger airports without actually saying why they are.

 

[MrFenner]

It should be slightly improved next week when TUI kick off their Paphos flight. but I agree, it’s certainly not great. It’s a similar situation at Exeter and Bournemouth where the Wednesday schedule is greatly reduced compared to other days of the week.

And the long awaited return of VY AGP, which thankfully they’ve put on a Wednesday to help with “bulk” out the boards 🙈