Cardiff: General Airport Discussion & Updates

[Jerry]

CWL having an unfair advantage over the private sector over a period of time.

The problem is that the evidence hasn't supported that. Its not as like Bristol is a struggling airport and CWL has stolen its biggest carrier and lets be honest here, the support is designed to keep CWL open and make it viable as a business in the future so Wales continues to have its own airport and a big part of that is investing in things that BRS doesn't actually do and that is MRO and cargo, in the passenger side yes there's hopefully going to be more growth with TUI and Ryanair especially but the latter especially won't sacrifice its operations at Bristol in favour of Cardiff and if BRS wanted to protect TUI then maybe they shouldn't have attracted Jet2. If you look at the other airlines then CWL might get Loganair to expand on Edinburgh and Aer Lingus on Belfast City and KLM to restore Amsterdam to what it was. As for new airlines or returning airlines that's a complete unknown but realistically it might be Qatar or an airline to operate a route like Paris or Barcelona or Mallorca and I've no doubt if that happens Bristol as an airport will continue to grow.
The Welsh Government owns Cardiff Airport and they're entitled to make an investment in what is Wales only international airport to benefit Wales as a country.

 

[Samdorob]

Looking ahead to next Thursday, there will be 16 departures. Notably 8 from TUI and an Aer Lingus Dublin departure.

Good to see it getting busier.

 

[Jerry]

Looking ahead to next Thursday, there will be 16 departures. Notably 8 from TUI and an Aer Lingus Dublin departure.

Good to see it getting busier.

Yep it's good to see it a lot busier.
Aer Lingus Dublin?

 

[Samdorob]

Yep it's good to see it a lot busier.
Aer Lingus Dublin?

There’s a series of Dublin flights next weekend (Thursday to Monday). Quite a few actually!

 

[Jerry]

There’s a series of Dublin flights next weekend (Thursday to Monday). Quite a few actually!

They must be for the Champions Cup final.

Ryanair have also added extra flights as well.

 

[Samdorob]

They must be for the Champions Cup final.

Ryanair have also added extra flights as well.

Some good day trip opportunities particularly Saturday and Sunday.

 

[Foxlimayankee]

For 2025 these are the seats on sale by Route and airline. Number of flights based on return flights.
Total seats on sale for scheduled and charter flights (Excluding additional sports charters unless scheduled services by FR, EI and LG) - 1,059,092 seats

Ryanair - Total 236,628 seats (Based on 737-800)
Dublin - 287 flights - 108,486 seats
Alicante - 119 flights - 44,982 seats
Malaga - 107 flights - 40,446 seats
Faro - 60 flights - 22,680 seats
Tenerife - 53 flights - 20,034 seats

Vueling - Total 96,480 seats (Based on A320)
Alicante - 158 flights - 56,880 seats
Malaga - 110 flights - 39,600 seats

Aer Lingus - Total 59,748 seats
Belfast City - 367 flights - 57,252 seats
Dublin - 16 flights - 2496 seats

Loganair - Total 29,328 seats (Based on mixed ERJ & ATR schedules)
Edinburgh (ERJ) - 148 flights - 14,208 seats
Edinburgh (ATR) - 105 flights - 15,120 seats

KLM - Total 135,080 seats (Based on mixed E75 & E90 schedules)
Amsterdam (E75) - 455 - 80,080
Amsterdam (E90) - 275 - 55,000

Total scheduled airlines - 557,264

TUI - Total 501,828 seats
Alicante - 104 flights - 39,312 seats
Antalya - 48 flights - 18,144 seats
Bourgas - 36 flights - 13,608 seats
Chambery - 12 flights - 4,536 seats
Corfu - 45 flights - 17,010 seats
Heraklion - 45 flights - 17,010 seats
Dalaman - 69 flights - 26,082 seats
Dubrovnik - 25 flights - 9,450 seats
Enfidha - 59 flights - 22,302 seats
Fuerteventura - 2 flights - 756 seats
Las Palmas - 53 flights - 20,034 seats
Ibiza - 40 flights - 15,120 seats
Kefalonia - 21 flights - 7,938 seats
Arrecife - 104 flights - 39,312 seats
Larnaca - 49 flights - 18,522 seats
Malaga - 77 flights - 29,106 seats
Mahon - 48 flights - 18,144 seats
Palma - 107 flights - 40,446 seats
Paphos - 62 flights - 23,436 seats
Reus - 22 flights - 8,316 seats
Rhodes - 51 flights - 19,278 seats
Salzburg - 2 flights - 756 seats
Tenerife - 157 flights - 59,346 seats
Zakynthos - 41 flights - 15,498 seats

Bridgetown - 1 flight - 600 seats

 

[Jerry]

1,059,092 seats

Can't see CWL getting over the 1 million mark but it should be able to get over 900,000 passengers.

 

[Foxlimayankee]

Can't see CWL getting over the 1 million mark but it should be able to get over 900,000 passengers.

Yeah, 950k might be a push as well but depends how additional charters go. I don't think the 6 nations was a big year for numbers.
2026 might see that 1m mark though.

 

[Jerry]

Yeah, 950k might be a push as well but depends how additional charters go. I don't think the 6 nations was a big year for numbers.
2026 might see that 1m mark though.

Yeah this year there was no French airlift but next year there will be so that should be a boost. With TUI growth, summer and winter, and fingers crossed the other airlines grow as well then 1 million should be no problem in 2026. Although its a shame its not being achieved in 2025 at least the airport is on the slow path of growth again. Whether it can or when it'll get back to 1.6 million only time will tell.

 

[Foxlimayankee]

A based 737-800 doing 2 return flights a day, year round, accounts for about 276k seats. So there would need to be something significant to reach 1.6m again.

 

[Samdorob]

A based 737-800 doing 2 return flights a day, year round, accounts for about 276k seats. So there would need to be something significant to reach 1.6m again.

I don’t see TUI adding a 5th aircraft for a long time, so I think the only hope is a Ryanair base. Even then a 2 aircraft base might just reach 1.6 million.

 

[Jerry]

Even then a 2 aircraft base might just reach 1.6 million

I think even then CWL would need more from other airlines like Amsterdam being back at 3 daily, Edinburgh at 2 daily and even Belfast City close to 2 daily as well and another route like say Paris CDG being daily.
In 2019 those routes accounted for 25% (400,000) of CWLs passenger numbers. For 2024 they accounted for 18% (162,000) of CWLs passengers and with TUI and Ryanair growing but these routes not growing in 2025 that % will go down.

 

[Jerry]

Cardiff Airport has published it's Summer 2025 schedule.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1924043304724791743

 

[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.

With the news of the new Hurgahda 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
🇪🇬Hurgahda (New)
In all that's 33 direct destinations.

 

[Nuffsaid]

That’s quite a list and a move in the right direction.

We need to get back:
Aberdeen
Cork
Glasgow
Jersey
Newcastle
Paris
Gerona

 

[Jerry]

That’s quite a list and a move in the right direction.

We need to get back:
Aberdeen
Cork
Glasgow
Jersey
Newcastle
Paris
Gerona

Out of that list i think Paris, Gerona (maybe instead of Barcelona) and maybe Cork are routes we might see in the future. The others I just don't see returning. The only real options for them are Loganair and at the moment the airport seems to be struggling to get them to do Edinburgh daily let alone other routes like Aberdeen which i don't see the demand there for them anymore. With Newcastle i think Cross Country 5 weekly direct train service essentially serves that now. With Jersey i don't see Blue Islands being interested in launching Cardiff tbh. Its frustrating because a big chunk of CWLs past passenger numbers were the domestic network and that doesn't look like it'll be recovered meaning CWL will have to recover the lost passenger numbers with international routes for the most part making it more of a challenge for the airports routes team.

 

[Jerry]

It's great to see the arrivals board so busy today with French and Irish rugby fans coming to Cardiff for the Champions Cup final at the Principality stadium.
It also shows how Cardiff Airport helps facilitates and is even part of attracting these sort of events.

 

[Samdorob]

It's great to see the arrivals board so busy today with French and Irish rugby fans coming to Cardiff for the Champions Cup final at the Principality stadium.
It also shows how Cardiff Airport helps facilitates and is even part of attracting these sort of events.

Same goes for the Euros in 2028. Depending how the games play out there may be a lot of extra traffic not just fans from abroad but also moving between stadiums.

 

[Jerry]

Same goes for the Euros in 2028. Depending how the games play out there may be a lot of extra traffic not just fans from abroad but also moving between stadiums.

Although it's not confirmed it's expected Cardiff is to host 6 matches, I'd expect 4 group games and then 1 round of 16 and 1 quarter final. Also Cardiff could host the opening ceremony as well. If Wales qualified I'd expect 2 of the group games to include them. From a CWL view probably the teams it wouldn't want playing in Cardiff would be England and Scotland to a lesser degree.

Euros: Cardiff set to host Euro 2028 opening ceremony and matches

A Senedd meeting reveals Cardiff is expected host the Euro 2028 opening ceremony and six matches.

www.bbc.co.uk