Cardiff: General Airport Discussion & Updates

[Jerry]

With the news of the new Salzburg route Cardiffs route network now looks like this
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Edinburgh
🇮🇪&NI Belfast City, Dublin
🇳🇱Amsterdam
🇫🇷Chambery
🇦🇹Salzburg (New)
🇭🇷Dubrovnik
🇧🇬Bourgas
🇹🇳Enfidha
🇵🇹Faro
🇲🇽Cancun (limited flights)
🇧🇧Bridgetown (limited flights)
🇨🇾Larnaca, Paphos
🇪🇸Reus, Alicante, Malaga, Ibiza, Menorca, Mallorca
🇮🇨Tenerife, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria,Fuerteventura (New)
🇬🇷Corfu,Kefalonia,Rhodes, Heraklion,Zante, Kos.
🇹🇷Antalya, Dalaman
In all that's 32 direct destinations.

 

[Jerry]

It is a sad state of affairs where at the moment the good news is that an airline isn't leaving or dropping a route.


Update 13/11/2024
Cardiff Airport Summer 2025 so far looks like this
27 destinations, 90 weekly departures and 7 airlines
Aer Lingus Regional 1 destination, 7 weekly departures
Belfast City 7 weekly
Balkan Holidays 1 destination, 1 weekly departure
Bourgas 1 weekly
KLM 1 destination, 14 weekly departures
Amsterdam 14 weekly
Loganair 1 destination, 5 weekly departures
Edinburgh 5 weekly
Ryanair 5 destinations, 13 weekly departures
Dublin 4 weekly
Alicante 3 weekly
Malaga 3 weekly
Faro 2 weekly
Tenerife South 1 weekly
TUI 22 destinations, 46 weekly departures
Palma de Mallorca 5 weekly
Tenerife South 3 weekly
Dalaman 3 weekly
Antalya 3 weekly
Enfidha 2 weekly
Bourgas 2 weekly
Larnaca 2 weekly
Paphos 2 weekly
Corfu 2 weekly
Kos 2 weekly
Rhodes 2 weekly
Zante 2 weekly
Malaga 2 weekly
Lanzarote 2 weekly
Alicante 2 weekly
Ibiza 2 weekly
Menorca 2 weekly
Heraklion 2 weekly
Reus 1 weekly
Gran Canaria 1 weekly
Kefalonia 1 weekly
Dubrovnik 1 weekly
Vueling 2 destinations, 5 weekly departures
Alicante 3 weekly
Malaga 2 weekly

Update 13/3/25
Cardiff Airport Summer 2025 so far looks like this
27 destinations, 98 weekly departures and 7 airlines
Aer Lingus Regional 1 destination, 7 weekly departures
Belfast City 7 weekly
Balkan Holidays 1 destination, 1 weekly departure
Bourgas 1 weekly
KLM 1 destination, 14 weekly departures
Amsterdam 14 weekly
Loganair 1 destination, 5 weekly departures
Edinburgh 5 weekly
Ryanair 5 destinations, 16 weekly departures
Dublin 6 weekly
Alicante 3 weekly
Malaga 4 weekly
Faro 2 weekly
Tenerife South 1 weekly
TUI 22 destinations, 46 weekly departures
Palma de Mallorca 5 weekly
Tenerife South 3 weekly
Dalaman 3 weekly
Antalya 2 weekly
Enfidha 2 weekly
Bourgas 2 weekly
Larnaca 2 weekly
Paphos 2 weekly
Corfu 2 weekly
Kos 2 weekly
Rhodes 2 weekly
Zante 2 weekly
Malaga 2 weekly
Lanzarote 2 weekly
Alicante 2 weekly
Ibiza 2 weekly
Menorca 2 weekly
Heraklion 2 weekly
Reus 1 weekly
Gran Canaria 1 weekly
Kefalonia 1 weekly
Dubrovnik 1 weekly
Vueling 2 destinations, 7 weekly departures
Alicante 3 weekly
Malaga 4 weekly

If KLM had restored the overnight aircraft Cardiff would be over 100 weekly departures.

 

[Nuffsaid]

How would that calculate into passenger numbers? Does it get the airport closer to the million mark?

 

[Samdorob]

How would that calculate into passenger numbers? Does it get the airport closer to the million mark?

I think the airport was around 120k off a million last year and realistically would need a few more routes and/or increases to reach that.

In my opinion it’ll be 2026, assuming the same sort of growth.

 

[Jerry]

How would that calculate into passenger numbers? Does it get the airport closer to the million mark?

Its roughly 30,000 seats a week onsale. Obviously this is peak summer and winter would be a lot less. I'd be surprised if the airport did over the 1 million mark in 2025, i think it'll get frustratingly close but short.

 

[geoff]

Winter25, will se a fairly good increase with the four extra flights from TUI, from 20th December, the figures would really be good if Ryanair were to expand their winter offering, and/or Vueling. That would almost certainly see CWL past the I million passengers in 2026.

 

[Foxlimayankee]

Seats on sale for 2025:
Scheduled (VY, FR, KL, LG, EI) - 522,758
Charter (TUI - including Cruise & Balkan) - 507948

Total seats on sale: 1,030,526.

This doesn't include one off charters such as Rugby and others. It also doesn't include any winter flights from VY and FR not yet released (Hoping for Malaga).

So 900k should be achievable, but 1m will still be a struggle. Fingers crossed for 2026.

 

[Jerry]

Summer 2025 Start of Season Report is out seats on sale per airline are
TUI 421,014 +7% (+29,277)
Ryanair 182,210 +24% (+35,096)
KLM 78,960 +4% (+2724)
Vueling 55,080 -3% (-1980) (most likely before the additions for Malaga)
Aer Lingus 31,680 +4% (+1266)
Loganair 16,385 +4% (+625)
Balkan Holidays 6480 +15% (+864)
Total 799,525
With the extra for Malaga from Vueling there should be close to 70,000 extra seats for Summer 2025 compared to Summer 2024

Microsoft Power BI

app.powerbi.com

 

[Foxlimayankee]

It's been reported that Spencer has left/been pushed with immediate effect.

 

[Jerry]

It's been reported that Spencer has left/been pushed with immediate effect.

Where has it been reported?

It will be interesting to see if the new CEO comes from within the airport existing management structure or from outside.

 

[Foxlimayankee]

I was sent a screenshot of a post on another forum that im not part of.

 

[Jerry]

Hopefully the new CEO will be a fresh face and have experience of the challenges small regional airports face.

 

[geoff]

Perhaps that's what needed, Spencer had been at CWL a long time, and in fairness had been a loyal employee of the Welsh Government. However I do remember an interview with a manager of TUI some time ago, where he stated that Spencer was the hardest person he ever dealt with when it came to negotiations.

 

[Jerry]

where he stated that Spencer was the hardest person he ever dealt with when it came to negotiations.

Not such a bad thing especially as I've no doubt airlines would try and get as much as possible out of an airport in any negotiations.

 

[MJC73]

Cardiff may never be a 10M airport and there are gaps in the schedule but it can build a solid base over the next few years which will be positive

 

[Jerry]

Cardiff may never be a 10M airport and there are gaps in the schedule but it can build a solid base over the next few years which will be positive

Well realistically at the moment the challenge is to get it back over 1.2 million passengers anything new CEO will have their work cut out and obviously we don’t know why Spencer is leaving but it may be because the airport hasn't got back to 2013 numbers let alone 2019.

 

[Samdorob]

If it is with immediate effect I assume there’s someone new already lined up. Hopefully with some good ideas and connections.

BTW, his linked in profile shows “exploring new opportunities” as of March 2025.

 

[Starflyer]

As I said, today is a different day to yesterday. And there is a vacancy too.

 

[CWL94]

As I said, today is a different day to yesterday. And there is a vacancy too.

Left or pushed?

 

[Jarvo]

Cardiff Airport's chief executive quits after four years in role

Welsh government searching for new boss for airport it bought in 2013.

www.bbc.com

CEO steps down, as already mentioned this morning on a different thread. Will be interesting to see a shake up at the top, very important they get the appointment right.