Cardiff: General Airport Discussion & Updates

[CAN&I]

Its been mentioned on the dried fruit forum that Cardiff Airport had a stand at the Wales Air Show in Swansea and also Cardiff Airport is in the creditors list and owed £25,000 by European Cargo.

EUROPEAN CARGO LIMITED filing history - Find and update company information - GOV.UK

EUROPEAN CARGO LIMITED - Free company information from Companies House including registered office address, filing history, accounts, annual return, officers, charges, business activity

find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk

£102m in the red by the time of liquidation. Whoever at CIAL declined further credit to EC certainly did the right thing at the time. Other creditors included Bournemouth Council (£130,536), Bournemouth Airport (£589,936), Eurocontrol (£1,566,488) and Teesside Airport (£2,149,414). Poor Teesside - all that fanfare and investment for nothing.

 

[Jack Ruckley]

£102m in the red by the time of liquidation. Whoever at CIAL declined further credit to EC certainly did the right thing at the time. Other creditors included Bournemouth Council (£130,536), Bournemouth Airport (£589,936), Eurocontrol (£1,566,488) and Teesside Airport (£2,149,414). Poor Teesside - all that fanfare and investment for nothing.

That’s probably also the reason why European Cargo pulled out of Cardiff when their credit wasn’t extended or stopped by the airport. Teesside were just drawn in with great ideas but no clue or understanding what they were actually going into partnership with

Wise move Cardiff

 

[CAN&I]

That’s probably also the reason why European Cargo pulled out of Cardiff when their credit wasn’t extended or stopped by the airport. Teesside were just drawn in with great ideas but no clue or understanding what they were actually going into partnership with

Wise move Cardiff

There was a lot going on at the time the relationship appeared to end: credit facilities, unpaid charges, third party costs, etc... but it could have been a lot worse. Imagine the furore if CIAL had lost £2m like Teesside? Ouch!

 

[Jerry]

There was a lot going on at the time the relationship appeared to end: credit facilities, unpaid charges, third party costs, etc... but it could have been a lot worse. Imagine the furore if CIAL had lost £2m like Teesside? Ouch!

It would be all over the Welsh news.
The Teesside Mayor is going to have a lot of questions to answer. In a way Cardiff Airport not getting in to deep to them is a good sign.

 

[CAN&I]

It would be all over the Welsh news.
The Teesside Mayor is going to have a lot of questions to answer. In a way Cardiff Airport not getting in to deep to them is a good sign.

The relationship seemed to cool quite quickly. Now we know why.

Thankfully CIAL didn't dive into the venture as quickly or as deeply as Teesside otherwise the fall out wouldn't bear thinking about. Having said that, it won't stop the likes of Wales Online making capital out of the £25k of public funds lost when it gets hold of the story.

Raises the question as to whether the Office of the Tees Valley Mayor conducted due diligence as effectively as it should, particularly where the deal seemed to be front-loaded to the tune of £2m only for the business to fold less than 3 months later.

EC must have known the money would barely keep the business afloat when they secured the deal: £12m in assets and only £921k cash in the bank yet £102m owed to company creditors including a £876k tax bill and a further £208m owed in chargeable secured debt.

 

[Jerry]

Pretty cool

https://twitter.com/x/status/2082135828675871187

 

[Barry Man]

Runway @ Brs



Asked AI when was the last time Brs runway was last resurfaced,it came out with a date of 2007 , 19 years ago .

An airport runway surface typically lasts 10 to 15 years before it needs full-length resurfacing, though heavy-traffic hubs may repave every 8 to 12 years. Underlying structural concrete bases can last 30 to 40+ years, but the top asphalt wearing course wears down faster from traffic stress and weather.



Factors Affecting Lifespan

• Traffic volume and aircraft weight: Heavier planes and more frequent takeoffs create faster surface fatigue.
• Climate and weather: Freezing winters and hot summers accelerate cracking and structural stress.
• Surface friction and rubber buildup: Touchdown zones accumulate rubber that lowers braking friction, requiring regular cleaning and eventual milling.
• Preventative maintenance: Crack sealing, joint repairs, and asphalt sealants can extend the time between major repaving jobs.

I wonder if they are holding out until they get planning permission to extend the airport; (my conjecture only )

I am sure the CAA will have something to say to them about this happening to a runway.

 

[Qing4theloo]

I suppose we should be thankful that no aircraft were damaged whilst taking off/landing.
I wonder if the CAA have a "fit and proper person" test for airport operators .... ?

 

[Red Flyer]

 

[Foxlimayankee]

Wasn't it last done about 20 years ago when it shut for a few days because the grooves weren't done correctly?
Although probably more relevant to the BRS thread.

 

[geoff]

Yes that's correct, I remember all the BRS Easyjet flights were being operated out of CWL for a few days, after a couple of their planes skidded on the runway at BRS.

 

[bluebols]

That will give our lovely neighbours something to think about, also the possible demise of Easy Jet must be concerning looking medium term . Buy outs like this tend to have an ulterior motive !!

 

[CAN&I]

That will give our lovely neighbours something to think about, also the possible demise of Easy Jet must be concerning looking medium term . Buy outs like this tend to have an ulterior motive !!

Very true, although there's two sides to this particular coin. While easyJet is by far the dominant airline at Bristol Airport with a market share there edging towards 60%, Bristol Airport is easyJet's third most profitable base across the whole of Europe after London Gatwick and Geneva. Any change to easyJet's operations will more than likely be felt elsewhere way before Bristol.

 

[Qing4theloo]

Well I spent nearly an hour trawling the CAA site, but couldn't find even a recommendation for the time between resurfacing runways. Obviously they say the airport ("aerodrome") is responsible for ensuring that the runway is in a usable state.
I did find this though, for anybody who is interested:

https://www.caa.co.uk/publication/download/13687

 

[MrFenner]

CWL featured in the latest edition of Airliner World with a six page spread about its recent progress to 1 million pax, start of YYZ route and the future for the airport

 

[Qing4theloo]

BA do maintenance on A350s at Cardiff? News to me ....

 

[MrFenner]

BA do maintenance on A350s at Cardiff? News to me ....

Isn’t it a Boeing only facility? 🤔

 

[Qing4theloo]

That's what I thought, but according to the article, they do A350s .... 🤔

 

[Jerry]

BA do maintenance on A350s at Cardiff? News to me ....

I believe they will in the future when the A350s are due.

 

[Nigel B]

Apparently one of the bays is being altered to take the Airbus A35k