Cardiff: General Airport Discussion & Updates

[Jerry]

Summary of what's onsale at the moment for Summer 2024.
So far CWL will have 93 weekly departures, 26 destinations, 7 airlines, 3 based and 1 overnighting aircraft. Hopefully we'll see more flights, destinations and airlines released in the next few weeks but it does feel like the airport is struggling especially when practically every other airport seems to be getting new airlines and destinations.
TUI
Palma de Mallorca 6 weekly
Tenerife 3 weekly
Dalaman 3 weekly
Antalya 3 weekly
Ibiza 3 weekly
Lanzarote 2 weekly
Bourgas 2 weekly
Alicante 2 weekly
Malaga 2 weekly
Larnaca 2 weekly
Paphos 2 weekly
Kos 2 weekly
Rhodes 2 weekly
Corfu 2 weekly
Menorca 2 weekly
Zante 2 weekly
Enfidha 2 weekly
Dubrovnik 1 weekly
Heraklion 1 weekly
Gran Canaria 1 weekly
Kefalonia 1 weekly
Reus 1 weekly
KLM
Amsterdam 20 weekly
Loganair
Edinburgh 6 weekly
Aer Lingus
Belfast City 7 weekly
Ryanair
Dublin 6 weekly
Malaga 3 weekly
Vueling
Alicante 3 weekly
BH Air
Bourgas 1 weekly

With this being likely to be it for Summer 2024 you have to wonder what the future holds for Cardiff Airport. Other airports seem to be gaining routes, new airlines, based aircraft and extra frequency on routes but Cardiff just doesn't seem to be getting any luck attracting airlines, keeping airlines or getting more frequency on routes. Only growth seems to be from TUI. The LCC airlines don't seem to be growing and the routes like Edinburgh and Mallorca are a shadow of their former self, passenger wise. Hopefully winter 2024 and Summer 2025 will be more positive.

 

[CraigW92]

It’s hard to know where to start with this as I don't think it’s down to one factor alone that the airport itself is struggling

Catchment , Ownership direction, Management, Ceased airlines , Covid , all have a part to play in my opinion and of course the overwhelming factor is BRS. Gradually year by year it seems to be choking the life out of CWL, I think Spencer has said before that they ask an airline for a Cardiff route and then they come back with why if we can put out aircraft at BRS and the CWL catchment travel to use it then why would we change that. That’s essentially what Jet2 have done. CWL hasn’t replaced the lost TCX capacity in itself, but Jet2 have pretty much replaced it albeit at a different airport but at the same time, serving the same catchment area

As Jerry and numerous others have pointed out over the last few months current routes have essentially been obliterated, EDI a really poor once a day compared to pre covid with BE, PMI not offered with a LCC, BCN, MAD, JER, MLA, GLA, CDG all not replaced to name a few, no one seems to have any idea what’s going on with QR, VY are in decline rather than growing, FR are really stagnant ( slight decline ) T3/AF loads on ORY are pretty awful to say the least as well

I was pretty convinced at the time that QR would catapult the airport forward significantly, I know there’s a few things that happened which has not been the airports fault but it’s hugely disappointing when everything appears to be a standstill

There is realistically very few airlines which can offer CWL the footfall it badly needs, I believe the only real option is FR. A few years ago I was a little concerned about the airport being at the mercy of them, but the more time goes on , the more I don’t think they have much of a choice. If we look at BOH for example, the FR operation there is something CWL could really do with

The airport desperately needs something for S24. I don’t believe it can have another summer with little to no growth, even a few away based flights from FR or VY that fills the quieter periods around mid morning / late afternoon would be something

I think it’s a pretty critical year or two for the airport,so let’s hope for some good news soon. Good news and future growth could lead to development from other airlines and I think that’s the hope that we are clinging too at the moment

 

[Jerry]

I believe the only real option is FR

The problem is though is Ryanair know people will travel to Bristol and even says so in this article
"The number of flights from Cardiff are 50% less than last year, but we have found that most people are willing to travel to Bristol. There is so much going on there and we are happy to be growing our base."

Ryanair grows its business from Bristol and cuts back in Cardiff

Cardiff to Belfast flights that were introduced in the spring will not be running over the winter

www.walesonline.co.uk

The only airline that hasn't gone backwards is TUI but they can only do offer so much. With Ryanair I used to hope that the long term goal was a base but now I don't think we'll ever see that at Cardiff or have any hope of one. And I do think you're correct in saying Bristol is choking the life out of the airport and I don't see what the airport management or it's owners can do to stop that.

 

[geoff]

The only optimistic thing I can see in the future, is that BRS may well overstretch itself, they are becoming so busy they may not be able to cope with the increase in flights and passengers, they have already suffered from delays and passenger complaints over the past few years.

 

[Jerry]

The only optimistic thing I can see in the future, is that BRS may well overstretch itself, they are becoming so busy they may not be able to cope with the increase in flights and passengers, they have already suffered from delays and passenger complaints over the past few years.

And they'll just expand again.

 

[geoff]

They will have to seek permission first, they had a bit of a struggle to get permission through last year to raise passenger numbers to 12 million.The other advantage CWL has, is the constraints BRS has it cannot accept large aircraft above 787, 767 size.

 

[Jerry]

They will have to seek permission first, they had a bit of a struggle to get permission through last year to raise passenger numbers to 12 million.The other advantage CWL has, is the constraints BRS has it cannot accept large aircraft above 787, 767 size.

I'm sure they're preparing the ground for that expansion and the old CWL can take bigger aircraft really isn't an advantage because it's unlikely CWL is ever able to attract airlines that use 777s, A350s etc

 

[Jerry]

The Conservative Party Shadow Transport Minister has come again and said that Cardiff Airport should be sold. Assuming that the Welsh government were willing to I'm curious to know how that would solve the airports problems as it would face the same challenges as it does now.

https://x.com/natasghar/status/1715368071953596521?s=20

 

[Em0866]

True. It's all well and good her saying that but the question which needs to be asked is, who would buy it? Typical Tory response trying to win votes I suspect.

 

[IanFarquharson]

CWL Route Development Manager has joined the team at SEN

 

[geoff]

Does anyone know how long he had been at CWL, it appears as though he hasn't had much success.

 

[MrFenner]

Does anyone know how long he had been at CWL, it appears as though he hasn't had much success.

If it’s the chap called Marc Watkins, then his LinkedIn profile says he joined in January 2022 - and as you allude to, there has been absolutely no development in aviation at CWL since then other than the T3 ORY.

Either he wasn’t very good (unlikely given that he spent many years at BHX), or more likely he was banging his head against a brick wall when it came to coercing airlines into CWL…

😕

 

[Jerry]

CWL Route Development Manager has joined the team at SEN

I'm pretty sure that's a different Marc Watkins.

more likely he was banging his head against a brick wall when it came to coercing airlines into CWL…

He probably is, I'm pretty he's still there at the airport.

True. It's all well and good her saying that but the question which needs to be asked is, who would buy it? Typical Tory response trying to win votes I suspect.

I generally don't think they care. Just something to bash Labour with. In her time in post I don't believe she's offered an alternative way in what the government should be doing.

Either he wasn’t very good (unlikely given that he spent many years at BHX),

I think attracting airlines to Cardiff is probably the most hardest job in aviation! It does take time to develop these routes and form connections with airlines. I'm hoping that the Volotea rugby flights will eventually to lead to something permanent.

 

[Aviador]

The only optimistic thing I can see in the future, is that BRS may well overstretch itself, they are becoming so busy they may not be able to cope with the increase in flights and passengers, they have already suffered from delays and passenger complaints over the past few years.

Realistically, is there any room for more expansion at Bristol beyond 12 million passengers annually?

 

[Foxlimayankee]

Realistically, is there any room for more expansion at Bristol beyond 12 million passengers annually?

That's probably the key point. Stand space must be getting restrictive, as well as terminal space. You can put as many parking spaces and bus bays in as they like, but there'll come a point where they'll need major works to expand the aircraft and terminal capacity. You only have to look at the public responses and the mood in recent years has changed to describing how awful BRS is to travel from at certain times.

CWL is crying out for an Airline on the busy routes and FR is the only real candidate. Provided they can create business without affecting their own operation at BRS, it'll work.

The only other potential option, dare I say it, is for Wizz to return. Once they get their LGW operation in order they may start sniffing around again. People will soon forget if the prices are cheap enough. FR didn't become as big as they are from their outstanding customer service pre-2017 and people still booked with them.

 

[Aviador]

I think there will come a point when the European market is saturated from Bristol. At that point the only market with growth potential will be long haul. We know that is always going to be limited from Bristol due to the runway limitations there but how successful has long haul been from Cardiff? Was it shown to attract sufficiant numbers from the opposite side of the Severn?

 

[geoff]

I agree with your views Foxlimayankee, I am led to believe that all the stands are full overnight, it must be pretty chaotic when the early morning departures are due out, my neighbours who recently flew from BRS will not be using it again.

 

[Jerry]

Realistically, is there any room for more expansion at Bristol beyond 12 million passengers annually?

Well i'd expect that Bristol would say yes. Probably looking at more non based flights and bigger aircraft with more seats per flight. As for long haul i don't see that as being something big enough to make CWL a viable profitable airport.

I agree with your views Foxlimayankee, I am led to believe that all the stands are full overnight, it must be pretty chaotic when the early morning departures are due out, my neighbours who recently flew from BRS will not be using it again.

I'm sure BRS will look to build more stands.

 

[geoff]

CWL has in the past had services to Toronto, New York, Orlando ,and more recently Qatar where the loads were increasing nicely prior to Covid. I myself have flown from CWL over the years to Acapulco, Santa Domingo, Montego Bay and many times to Barbados, on chartered P&o flights and TUI flights. Things started to change when TUI bought AIR 2000. who had a strong presence at BRS, whose CEO became the boss of the combined group and insisted on TUI's Orlando flights being flown from BRS, despite them having been very successful from CWL. I should point out that when I refer to TUI, it was then Thomsons.

 

[Jerry]

CWL has in the past had services to Toronto, New York, Orlando ,and more recently Qatar where the loads were increasing nicely prior to Covid. I myself have flown from CWL over the years to Acapulco, Santa Domingo, Montego Bay and many times to Barbados, on chartered P&o flights and TUI flights. Things started to change when TUI bought AIR 2000. who had a strong presence at BRS, whose CEO became the boss of the combined group and insisted on TUI's Orlando flights being flown from BRS, despite them having been very successful from CWL. I should point out that when I refer to TUI, it was then Thomsons.

Those days are long gone though, airlines don't seem to be interested in flying to or from regional especially small regional airports now and in a way mirrors the short haul where they know people will travel to the big airports in England. Unless the Welsh government is willing to subsidise in some way these routes, and i don't think they are, CWL isn't going to be able to attract them and i think that is part of the problem with short haul as well. The airport doesn't have the ability to incentivise airlines to go out of their comfort zone and launch routes to and from Cardiff especially ones with bases close by.