Cardiff: Route Development & Rumours

[Jack Ruckley]

When CWL and GLA are both showing on the route map and the ACL slot announcment (Coupled with a hidden webpage leak), there’s not much you can do in 2025 as FLY as stated above.

Let’s face it, I don’t think the airport will mind, it’s amazing news … Great route with a great airline to some great destinations. Win-Win surely !

Totally right.
I just think some mis-communication may have occurred between Westjet and Cardiff of when they announce it and someone put it on the route map ahead of time.

2025 and the world we live in proves secrets never remain secret for long and it’s amazing to get trans Atlantic connections for the South West UK region.

 

[Jerry]

I’m only putting forward the brief I was given that Cardiff were desperate for it to be a headline surprise grabber news session. Still it will be big news but not the full on surprise people would’ve been shocked at

It will be a big surprise to most people just not aviation enthusiasts! In 2025 it's hard to keep anything a secret when you have enthusiasts doing detective work and loads of social media accounts out there teasing things to come.

I do think it'll be a bit odd to see flights to Canada on the departures board but not to Scotland.

 

[MrFenner]

I do think it'll be a bit odd to see flights to Canada on the departures board but not to Scotland.

Now you can go to EDI & GLA - via YYZ 😉

 

[Jerry]

Now you can go to EDI & GLA - via YYZ 😉

The scenic route!😆

 

[Tinkerman]

Head of Marketing & Communications - “ … Plenty more to come”.

 

[CWL94]

Head of Marketing & Communications - “ … Plenty more to come”.

Where did he say that?

 

[fly4gigs]

Someone from the airport was on Radio Wales this evening, I was already home by the time they were on

 

[MrFenner]

Where did he say that?

She has also written it on her LinkedIn profile after posting about the YYZ route today…

Pinch of Salt or deeper meaning? 🤔

 

[Qing4theloo]

Anybody seen anything official as to whether or not it's seasonal?

 

[MrFenner]

Anybody seen anything official as to whether or not it's seasonal?

The booking engine states it on their website when you select CWL;

“Service to Toronto resumes on Fri May 22 2026 and ends on Fri Sep 11 2026”

 

[Jerry]

Someone from the airport was on Radio Wales this evening, I was already home by the time they were on

45 minute's into the show the Finance Director talks about the new route, mentions about how people travelled to Toronto from the airports long haul catchment area and that the airport route development team has taken a group approach with Visit Wales, businesses, education partners and the Welsh government to route development of new routes and airlines.
There's also a Canadian journalist who was interviewed about how Canadians are looking at new destinations but I did find it frustrating when she said she couldn't fly to or from Wales and had to use Manchester (visiting castles on holiday in northern Wales and then the rugby in Cardiff) and Heathrow felt it was a missed opportunity to plug KLM and that Cardiff and southern Wales has castles.

Radio Wales Drive - With Claire Summers - BBC Sounds

Everything you need to know as you head home.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Jerry]

With the launch of Toronto Cardiff will have 5 direct long-haul routes.
Toronto🇨🇦 4 weekly with WestJet (23/5/26-11/9/26)
Barbados🇧🇧
Cancun 🇲🇽
La Romana 🇩🇴
Antigua 🇦🇬 with TUI and P&O Cruises on select dates

Hopefully in the future CWL can add to the list maybe even regain eastbound long haul as well.
And if there is some sort of partnership in place and obviously if Toronto proves sustainable i wonder maybe if Halifax could be a future destination?

 

[Jerry]

We’re looking at hubs, so we want to get back to the Middle East, we want to get to Frankfurt, we want to get to Paris.”

Cotswolds to Canada via Cardiff – the Welsh airport’s plan to improve its fortunes

Plane Talk: The Welsh capital wins back a scheduled transatlantic link for next summer

www.independent.co.uk

 

[fly4gigs]

We’re looking at hubs, so we want to get back to the Middle East, we want to get to Frankfurt, we want to get to Paris.”

Cotswolds to Canada via Cardiff – the Welsh airport’s plan to improve its fortunes

Plane Talk: The Welsh capital wins back a scheduled transatlantic link for next summer

www.independent.co.uk

QR, LH and AF then... ambitious to get LH and AF

 

[Em0866]

I really do think that to bag Turkish Airlines to Istanbul will give a lot more connectivity to other parts of the world, more so than Qatar as TKs fleet is so much more diverse. Having flown with Turkish a few times now the legroom in Economy is good, as is the service on board.

 

[gulftraveller]

Weren’t Turkish talking about Bristol? They have specifically mentioned Newcastle and Glasgow but that was 2/3? years ago.

 

[Jerry]

QR, LH and AF then... ambitious to get LH and AF

Air France is only the realistic option for Paris if CWL is looking at facilitating long haul connections. They were part of that short lived Eastern Airways Paris route so hopefully have some interest in serving Cardiff as a direct destination.
Frankfurt I don't see as being realistic tbh.

Weren’t Turkish talking about Bristol? They have specifically mentioned Newcastle and Glasgow but that was 2/3? years ago.

Newcastle and Glasgow featured on a future routes map i don't think Bristol did.

 

[fly4gigs]

Paris not just as a hub but as a leisure destination. CDG with Flybe was popular both times I used the service.

 

[Em0866]

Weren’t Turkish talking about Bristol?

As far as I'm aware EZY fly to IST from BRS at the moment twice a week and PGT will be flying to SAW, Istanbuls other airport on the Asian side of Turkey. SAW don't have the same worldwide connections as IST as it's mostly PGT that are based there.

 

[geoff]

A poster on this forum, gave a cryptic hint of a base in the future, when the rumours were strong about Westjet, and the Marketing manager at CWL, during an interview on Radio Wales also stated there was more to come, announcement wise, let's keep our fingers crossed for more good news.