Cardiff Airport - General Thread

Birmingham puts millions on the table to bring back New York flights

Are BRS likely to go after BHX on this too?

Best of luck with that if they did.BHX although minority owned by by seven regional councils is majority owned by commercial concerns and operates as such and does not receive government money.

rollo said:

Best of luck with that if they did.BHX although minority owned by by seven regional councils is majority owned by commercial concerns and operates as such and does not receive government money.

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Ah yes the same multi billion dollar Canadian teachers pension pot that also used to own BRS.

Maybe they’ll let that one slip…

MrFenner said:

Ah yes the same multi billion dollar Canadian teachers pension pot that also used to own BRS.

Maybe they’ll let that one slip…

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They sold out last year to Macquarie Asset Maagment an investment group who bought into BRS at the same time and own LCY
BHX operates as a private company under the name of Birmingham Airport Holdings and raises any funds required for capital spending etc on the commercial markets.

To be clear I am not having a dig at Cardiff in anyway just pointing out that BRS woud be crazy challenge BHX on subsidy grounds. The Cardiff/ South Wales area is a chronicly underserved region in aviation terms.

You can follow this on line , link a bottom​

Bristol Airport v Welsh Ministers​

Registered​

20/06/2025

Tribunal​

• Ben Tidswell
• John Alty
• Tim Frazer

Status​

Appeal brought under section 70(1) of the Subsidy Control Act 2022 (SCA). The Appellant seeks review of the decision of the Welsh Government to grant a subsidy package of up to £205.2 million on a phased basis over 10 years to Cardiff International Airport Limited. The Appellant avers that the subsidy decision is contrary to the provisions of the SCA, is unlawful and should be set aside.
The first CMC was due to take place on 22 July 2025 but was vacated by consent.
A substantive hearing has been listed to take place on 9 February 2026 with a time estimate of two days. This hearing will take place at the Cardiff Civil and Family Justice Centre. Remote access to the hearing will be facilitated using Cloud Video Platform (CVP). Instructions on how to access the hearing remotely can be obtained by emailing the Registry ([email protected]).

rollo said:

They sold out last year to Macquarie Asset Maagment an investment group who bought into BRS at the same time and own LCY
BHX operates as a private company under the name of Birmingham Airport Holdings and raises any funds required capital spending etc on the commercial markets.

To be clear I am not having a dig at Cardiff in anyway just pointing out that BRS woud be crazy challenge BHX on subsidy grounds. The Cardiff/ South Wales area is a chronicly underserved region in aviation terms.

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I suspect it all depends on what the ruling could be in whether such subsidy of routes would be allowed. Bristol beef is with Cardiff so I don't see them going after BHX but I suspect any airport/institution would have to look as to whether they can do such a subsidy or not again post any ruling.

rollo said:

LCY
BHX operates as a private company under the name of Birmingham Airport Holdings and raises any funds required capital spending etc on the commercial markets.

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The difference with Cardiff is that if it was to seek such money on the commercial markets it would be taken off the Welsh government grant block.

In his haste to release the article Sion Barry has forgotten where BRS actually is but it’ll be interesting to read comments justifying the cost of each passenger.

Red Flyer said:

'Wales plans to give Cardiff Airport a £71.50 subsidy for every new passenger'

Welsh Government plans to provide a £205.2m subsidy to Cardiff Airport has been legally challenged by Bristol Airport

www.walesonline.co.uk

In his haste to release the article Sion Barry has forgotten where BRS actually is but it’ll be interesting to read comments justifying the cost of each passenger.

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Yet more perfect journalism from Wales Online…

Red Flyer said:

'Wales plans to give Cardiff Airport a £71.50 subsidy for every new passenger'

Welsh Government plans to provide a £205.2m subsidy to Cardiff Airport has been legally challenged by Bristol Airport

www.walesonline.co.uk

In his haste to release the article Sion Barry has forgotten where BRS actually is but it’ll be interesting to read comments justifying the cost of each passenger.

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Every passenger though is contributing to Wales economy. They're spending money in Wales supporting Welsh jobs and that's fundamentally the whole point of the continued investment by the Welsh government its economic and a lot of the money isn't earmarked to go into the passenger operation it's to invest into the non passenger side like MRO and cargo.

"Lawyers have defended a £205.2m Welsh government subsidy for Cardiff Airport during a competition appeal tribunal.
George Peretz KC said the "ambitious" funding was legal and would deliver "much wider benefits to the Welsh economy"."
https://share.google/RHQM2GggBfhEws6kB

Also at

Anyone know what the building under construction on the roundabout at the entrance to the airport is for?

Jerry said:

Anyone know what the building under construction on the roundabout at the entrance to the airport is for?

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New CAVC college for ICAT apparently

Jack Ruckley said:

New CAVC college for ICAT apparently

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Thanks!

While waiting for my flight yesterday I was surveyed by a member of the airport team. I wasn't the only one. The staff member seemed dedicated to asking passengers for feedback about the airport. How people got there, where they came from, why they choose Cardiff, what things the airport could do better and what sort of routes the airport should be looking to attract. That's the first time I've seen something like that while flying from Cardiff.

I think they were advertising jobs for doing surveys.

MrFenner said:

Ah yes the same multi billion dollar Canadian teachers pension pot that also used to own BRS.

Maybe they’ll let that one slip…

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That’s a deviation from what the legal challenge BRS actually is though. Cardiff is investing £200million to distort the market, because without this public subsidy to distort the market they cannot apparently achieve their aims of growing the number of routes that apparently will contribute directly to the Welsh economy. It’s not a private sector company doing this, because if it was it wouldn’t be litigious.

This is being challenged against the U.K. Subsidy Control Act 2022, previously it would have been overseen by the EU who might have taken a different view but since we’ve left and this law has been implemented BRS clearly believe they have a case and I agree with them.

Not saying CWL can’t be successful, but the level of success given the freedom of choice amongst the Welsh passenger and the relatively low propensity to fly in that part of wales means it’s not exactly going to be an attractive proposition without these heavy subsidies. Once the subsidies run dry the airlines tend to disappear, it’s hardly sustainable. Bristol’s argument might be that they can sustainably offer these services without heavy subsidy but Cardiff doing so muddies the waters.

I’m interested to see how the court interpret the law.

pug said:

Bristol’s argument might be that they can sustainably offer these services without heavy subsidy but Cardiff doing so muddies the waters.

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The Welsh government will no doubt argue though that the problem with Bristol is that it is not an airport in Wales it's in England. That's part of the challenge. Wales government will always want to promote people being able to travel to and from Wales directly as much as possible without having to go via England as people spending money in Wales contribute to Wales economy rather than England's.

Jerry said:

The Welsh government will no doubt argue though that the problem with Bristol is that it is not an airport in Wales it's in England. That's part of the challenge. Wales government will always want to promote people being able to travel to and from Wales directly as much as possible without having to go via England as people spending money in Wales contribute to Wales economy rather than England's.

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It’s like a broken record. It’s the same thing round and round and round! My father used to tell me that if you say something enough times you start to believe it’s true even though you know it’s false!!

Red Flyer said:

It’s like a broken record. It’s the same thing round and round and round! My father used to tell me that if you say something enough times you start to believe it’s true even though you know it’s false!!

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Just because you don't like what the Welsh government say or believe doesn't mean its false. Bristol is not an airport that is in Wales, it is not a Welsh airport. Cardiff is and is Wales only airport as well. Wales own government is always going to look to promote people to travel directly to Wales, to spend their money in Wales, for business people to be able to travel to and from Wales directly and will want as many routes as feasible to enable that whether they own the airport or not and will look to invest in it for the economic benefit it believes it gives Wales and the Vale of Glamorgan. You can scorn that and call it a vanity project as much as you like but that's the reality even the Tories and Reform don't want to close it.

I would also ask if you were the Welsh government what would you do?