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An expert has expressed concerns about the future of Cardiff airport, stating that ongoing losses at the Welsh gateway paint a grim picture.
The airport, located to the southwest of the capital, is still experiencing financial losses as it faces difficulties in regaining its pre-pandemic passenger numbers.
The essential long-distance connection to Doha on Qatar Airways was terminated at the beginning of the Covid pandemic and has yet to be reinstated.
The Welsh government provided a grant of £5.3 million to cover losses of £4.5 million in the period ending March 2023.
According to aviation expert Sean Moulton, Cardiff is at a disadvantage because it is in close proximity to Bristol airport, which offers affordable flights, and many areas of Wales can be easily accessed through other nearby airports such as Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester. Therefore, Cardiff lacks a unique selling point.
In 2023, most UK airports experienced growth compared to the previous year. However, according to the Civil Aviation Authority’s recent data, there was a small decrease in passenger numbers at Cardiff Airport, with only 837,000 travelers recorded.
In a span of four days, London Heathrow caters to a larger number of passengers.
In the last 20 years, the number of passengers at Cardiff has decreased by approximately 50%, while Bristol airport has experienced an increase of approximately 100%.
Spencer Birns, the CEO of Cardiff Airport, stated to Wales Online that Ryanair will be expanding their offerings with two new routes to Tenerife and Alicante for the upcoming summer season. Additionally, discussions are taking place to potentially add more routes for the following winter season.
“We will soon have additional space available on the Loganair flight to Edinburgh with a bigger plane, providing us with more capacity. Tui is also increasing their holiday offerings from Cardiff by approximately 12,000.”
However, the main connecting flight between Europe and Cardiff, operated by KLM to Amsterdam, will be reduced from three daily flights to only two. The scheduled departure in the early morning from the airport in Wales will also no longer be available.
According to Mr. Moulton, this demonstrates the difficult situation that Cardiff is facing.
Mr. Birns is optimistic about the potential return of the Doha link. He believes that having the Qatar Airways service back in Wales would be great, as it would reconnect the country to the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Australia, which have a high demand for travel. Currently, there are ongoing discussions between Mr. Birns and the airline to hopefully resume the service as soon as possible.
There is a possibility that any agreement will involve providing financial assistance for the path.
The Welsh government, who holds ownership of Cardiff airport, has expressed their dedication to keeping an airport in Wales due to the positive impact it has on the economy and local suppliers.
Each year, the airport contributes over £240m to the Welsh economy in terms of gross value added (GVA).
The leadership team is still making efforts to resume flights and expand the business in order to recover from the impact of the pandemic. Negotiations are still happening between Cardiff airport and the airline regarding the reinstatement of Qatar Airways’ Doha service from Cardiff.
Source: independent.co.uk
