CARDIFF - 2
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: South Wales
Posts: 1,253
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Somebody from Abertis is keeping an eye on Cardiff Airport possibly a temporary MD.
The current management at CWL have been advised not to apply for the post.
Several reasons in my eyes why there has been a halt. These could range from cost saving measures during the downturn to looking for the perfect candidate.
Spencer Birns is working his nuts off to drum up business including traveling several meetings in various countries.
They are attending the routes conference in Abu Dhabi too.
The current management at CWL have been advised not to apply for the post.
Several reasons in my eyes why there has been a halt. These could range from cost saving measures during the downturn to looking for the perfect candidate.
Spencer Birns is working his nuts off to drum up business including traveling several meetings in various countries.
They are attending the routes conference in Abu Dhabi too.
Last edited by mathers_wales_uk; 21st Aug 2012 at 22:50.
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: South Wales
Posts: 1,253
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Newmarket additional one-off charters for 2013 to Milan, Oporto, Genoa & Naples.
Click here to find out more
Click here to find out more
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: South Wales
Posts: 1,253
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have noticed that there seems more logic to this years operation.
The aircraft will operate a night stop after arriving from Milan to operate the Oporto. Also when the aircraft arrives from Genoa it will turnaround to Naples.
This will remove 4 positioning flights and save Newmarket around £20,000 and makes a load of sense compared to this year where every flight had a positioning sector attached.
It is also a way to ensure that these packages are more of a success.
P.S. Thanks for the link Phileas
The aircraft will operate a night stop after arriving from Milan to operate the Oporto. Also when the aircraft arrives from Genoa it will turnaround to Naples.
This will remove 4 positioning flights and save Newmarket around £20,000 and makes a load of sense compared to this year where every flight had a positioning sector attached.
It is also a way to ensure that these packages are more of a success.
P.S. Thanks for the link Phileas
Last edited by mathers_wales_uk; 24th Aug 2012 at 15:23.
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: South Wales
Posts: 1,253
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The Welsh economy is likely to contiunue to struggle as a Welsh MP calls for the expansion of Birmingham instead of Heathrow.
It is a shame that he is not calling for developments to Cardiff Airport first and foremost. Afterall that would heve a better impact on the Welsh economy and increase then umber of Welsh jobs other than Birmingham.
We must expand Birmingham - not Heathrow says Welsh MP - News Article
It is a shame that he is not calling for developments to Cardiff Airport first and foremost. Afterall that would heve a better impact on the Welsh economy and increase then umber of Welsh jobs other than Birmingham.
We must expand Birmingham - not Heathrow says Welsh MP - News Article
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Cloud 9
Posts: 2,948
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
mathers,
With all due respect please try to address some issues nearer to home than BHX and/or LHR.
How many roundabouts do BHX and/or LHR have between their nearest motorways and passenger drop-off/pick-up points and or car parks and how many roundabouts does CWL have between it's nearest motorway and airport?
P.S. I know the answer because I learned to drive an LGV1 around so many damn South Glamorgan roundabouts in such a short space of time.
With all due respect please try to address some issues nearer to home than BHX and/or LHR.
How many roundabouts do BHX and/or LHR have between their nearest motorways and passenger drop-off/pick-up points and or car parks and how many roundabouts does CWL have between it's nearest motorway and airport?
P.S. I know the answer because I learned to drive an LGV1 around so many damn South Glamorgan roundabouts in such a short space of time.
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Cloud 9
Posts: 2,948
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Mathers,
Lulsgate airfield was created as a training aid for pilots to operate in the cr@ppiest of weather conditions, that was back in circa the war yet it still provides for such a training aid to this day.
Why Filton never became Bristol's airport remains one of life's mysteries so you won't get me on the journey to/from Lulsgate, I drove it many a time and it's cr@p.
CWL should forget about Rhoose village and it's 'Cardiff Airport' rail station and concentrate on improving bus services from/to Cardiff Central, I've said it before and I'll say it again ... half size buses and twice as many of them particularly early morning and late evening, never mind the X91 once every 2 hours and/or the X45/46 every hour but then only if it turns up!
Lulsgate airfield was created as a training aid for pilots to operate in the cr@ppiest of weather conditions, that was back in circa the war yet it still provides for such a training aid to this day.
Why Filton never became Bristol's airport remains one of life's mysteries so you won't get me on the journey to/from Lulsgate, I drove it many a time and it's cr@p.
CWL should forget about Rhoose village and it's 'Cardiff Airport' rail station and concentrate on improving bus services from/to Cardiff Central, I've said it before and I'll say it again ... half size buses and twice as many of them particularly early morning and late evening, never mind the X91 once every 2 hours and/or the X45/46 every hour but then only if it turns up!
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: South Wales
Posts: 1,253
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Phileas,
I cannot disagree with you on that as I stated above allthough I did not stress the number of buses per/hour and/or size.
I cannot disagree with you on that as I stated above allthough I did not stress the number of buses per/hour and/or size.
The public transport is practically non existent and it has long been mentioned that a direct express bus service from Cardiff Airport to the City Centre should become a priority especially as it is not possible ot increase the number of trains until at least 2014.
Brunel to Concorde
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Virtute et Industria, et Sumorsaete Ealle
Posts: 2,283
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The reason that the Bristol City Council opted for Lulsgate in the 1950s instead of Filton was mainly because they would have been tenants of the airfield operator at Filton (BAC in those days) and the good aldermen and councillors didn't like that idea - they were councillors after all so you can't expect them to have made sensible decisions!
By the 1990s the environmental lobby was in full swing and at a public enquiry successfully managed to persuade an inspector to reject Bae's application to turn Filton into a city airport (around 1996 from memory).
Assuming that a working arrangement could have been established between the airport operator and airfield owner/occupier at Filton it's not fanciful to suggest that Bristol would have done even better in the airport stakes than it has, taking into account the various disadvantages of the Lulsgate site.
Maybe it's a good thing for CWL that Filton wasn't chosen. It seems to be struggling to cope with BRS at present. Imagine a 'BRS' at the larger Filton site with much quicker and easier access to Wales, nearby intersection of two major motorways, main rail line nearby with a branch line through the site (though from where I live in south Bristol Lulsgate is easier and quicker to reach than Filton).
Sadly, Filton's runway is to close at the end of this year.
BRS was quick off the mark - over a decade ago - with its Flyer bus link, operated for it by First under contract. It runs every 10 minutes in each direction from very early morning till mid evening and at lesser frequency in the late evening and right through the night. It's extremely popular with through booking facilities on rail and National Express and has to a great extent overcome BRS's lack of rail access. Many of the Flyers were chock full of punters mainly off the trains again today - they are a fleet of 12 airport-liveried 37-seat Volvos with internal luggage space.
CWL needs something like that though I think it's too easy to blame poor access alone for its ills in recent years as is often heard.
The Lulsgate site at Broadfield Down was originally a relief landing ground for RAF Weston-super-Mare in WW2. In radiation fog conditions the lower airfields were fog-bound but Lulsgate at over 600 feet elevation stood above it - still happens at times of course - and it was turned into an RAF airfield in 1941. The first aircraft to land was a Luftwaffe Junkers 88 that had become disorientated after a bombing raid and was 'captured' by George Wimpey workmen building the new RAF airfield. An onsite detachment of military personnel quickly appeared and the RAF found itself in possession of a nearly new and undamaged Ju 88.
By the 1990s the environmental lobby was in full swing and at a public enquiry successfully managed to persuade an inspector to reject Bae's application to turn Filton into a city airport (around 1996 from memory).
Assuming that a working arrangement could have been established between the airport operator and airfield owner/occupier at Filton it's not fanciful to suggest that Bristol would have done even better in the airport stakes than it has, taking into account the various disadvantages of the Lulsgate site.
Maybe it's a good thing for CWL that Filton wasn't chosen. It seems to be struggling to cope with BRS at present. Imagine a 'BRS' at the larger Filton site with much quicker and easier access to Wales, nearby intersection of two major motorways, main rail line nearby with a branch line through the site (though from where I live in south Bristol Lulsgate is easier and quicker to reach than Filton).
Sadly, Filton's runway is to close at the end of this year.
BRS was quick off the mark - over a decade ago - with its Flyer bus link, operated for it by First under contract. It runs every 10 minutes in each direction from very early morning till mid evening and at lesser frequency in the late evening and right through the night. It's extremely popular with through booking facilities on rail and National Express and has to a great extent overcome BRS's lack of rail access. Many of the Flyers were chock full of punters mainly off the trains again today - they are a fleet of 12 airport-liveried 37-seat Volvos with internal luggage space.
CWL needs something like that though I think it's too easy to blame poor access alone for its ills in recent years as is often heard.
The Lulsgate site at Broadfield Down was originally a relief landing ground for RAF Weston-super-Mare in WW2. In radiation fog conditions the lower airfields were fog-bound but Lulsgate at over 600 feet elevation stood above it - still happens at times of course - and it was turned into an RAF airfield in 1941. The first aircraft to land was a Luftwaffe Junkers 88 that had become disorientated after a bombing raid and was 'captured' by George Wimpey workmen building the new RAF airfield. An onsite detachment of military personnel quickly appeared and the RAF found itself in possession of a nearly new and undamaged Ju 88.
Last edited by MerchantVenturer; 7th Sep 2012 at 19:20. Reason: Typo
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Cloud 9
Posts: 2,948
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
It's been said, many a time, and it's true that BRS and CWL have totally different catchment areas and clientel in those areas.
BRS has picked up on the market, both business and leisure, for folk all the way from Lands End up until circa Gloucester, across to Swindon and mid point to the BOH area. These folk would otherwise need to travel all the way to such airports as LHR/LGW.
CWL, on the other hand, has a sparsely populated catchment area with reletively little business travel demand, which KLM have something of a monopoly serving, and mainly holiday leisure travel for once, or twice, yearly holidays of which many will book inclusive tour package holidays and not opt for a LoCo seat only even if a LoCo is serving the destination they wish to holiday in.
Because of CWL's sparsely populated, and nature of, catchment area it's never likely to be a busy passenger airport and, as with the BA maintenance facility, might focus it's attention to making revenue from aviation related business other than passengers ..... but,:
Now they've decided to develop the former RAF St. Athan that's within spitting distance of CWL, to create an enterprise zone or whatever offering businesses financial incentives to come and develop their business at St. Athan, so what chance of CWL attracting non passenger related aviation business now?
Just as an example, in the 80's, Norman were making crop sprayers over where the CWL flying club(s) are, no chance of any business revenue like that returning because they'd opt for St. Athan instead.
Just by reading such threads as this it is apparent that South Wales hasn't been able to support one profitable licensed aerodrome so who the **** decided to develop a second licensed aerodrome and within spitting distance of the first licensed aerodrome?
BRS has picked up on the market, both business and leisure, for folk all the way from Lands End up until circa Gloucester, across to Swindon and mid point to the BOH area. These folk would otherwise need to travel all the way to such airports as LHR/LGW.
CWL, on the other hand, has a sparsely populated catchment area with reletively little business travel demand, which KLM have something of a monopoly serving, and mainly holiday leisure travel for once, or twice, yearly holidays of which many will book inclusive tour package holidays and not opt for a LoCo seat only even if a LoCo is serving the destination they wish to holiday in.
Because of CWL's sparsely populated, and nature of, catchment area it's never likely to be a busy passenger airport and, as with the BA maintenance facility, might focus it's attention to making revenue from aviation related business other than passengers ..... but,:
Now they've decided to develop the former RAF St. Athan that's within spitting distance of CWL, to create an enterprise zone or whatever offering businesses financial incentives to come and develop their business at St. Athan, so what chance of CWL attracting non passenger related aviation business now?
Just as an example, in the 80's, Norman were making crop sprayers over where the CWL flying club(s) are, no chance of any business revenue like that returning because they'd opt for St. Athan instead.
Just by reading such threads as this it is apparent that South Wales hasn't been able to support one profitable licensed aerodrome so who the **** decided to develop a second licensed aerodrome and within spitting distance of the first licensed aerodrome?
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: UK, sometimes USA
Posts: 402
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Phileas, I agree with most of your last post but I can't believe the catchment area can get anywhere close to BOH. It's a nightmare journey north-east from BOH area on pathetic country roads. I've tried supposedly close BRS a few times and always regretted it. In reality LHR is better for me to get to from the greater BOH area.
I think Phileas actually said mid point to the BOH area, not sure anyone would argue with the fact LGW or LHR are a far better bet from Bournemouth or therabouts.
Phileas is again quite right that CWL like NQY is in a geographical position that it needs to develop other revenue sources than just that derived from flights scheduled or charter.
Until it does that it will bimble along with revenue fluctuating only marginally into the next decade or until it goes the same way as PLH.
Phileas is again quite right that CWL like NQY is in a geographical position that it needs to develop other revenue sources than just that derived from flights scheduled or charter.
Until it does that it will bimble along with revenue fluctuating only marginally into the next decade or until it goes the same way as PLH.
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: South Wales
Posts: 1,253
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
It has been confirmed today that Helvetic Airways will cease operating flights from Cardiff Airport at the end of the summer.
Swiss Airline Helvetic ends Cardiff winter flights - view article
Swiss Airline Helvetic ends Cardiff winter flights - view article
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: South Wales
Posts: 463
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
This comes as no great surprise, as was said a few weeks ago when they put BRS on sale. From a company perspective, their website and booking engine does not seemed to be indexed on google, so that when you search for helvetic airways, their landing page does not appear ?
In the article it does mention that they are trying to get the route back for next summer with Helvetic searching for tour operators to help fill the route. But surely ZRH should be marketed more as a winter destination ?
It also mentions that they are in advanced discussions with Vueling, to no great surprise. I wonder what their offering will be for next year ? More of the same me thinks !
In the article it does mention that they are trying to get the route back for next summer with Helvetic searching for tour operators to help fill the route. But surely ZRH should be marketed more as a winter destination ?
It also mentions that they are in advanced discussions with Vueling, to no great surprise. I wonder what their offering will be for next year ? More of the same me thinks !
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: South Wales
Posts: 1,253
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Cardiff Airport passenger statistics for August 2012 have now been released. - Click to view
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: South Wales
Posts: 1,253
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The First Minister, Carwyn Jones will today join fellow first ministers at Downing Street to discuss strategies to revive the UK economy and the contreversial issue of aviation policy.
It is believed the First Minister does not wish to drawn into the row over Heathrow and Boris Island but the efforts of the Welsh Government will be on ensuring the future of Cardiff Airport.
First Minister to discuss airport strategy at crucial ministerial meeting - view article
It is believed the First Minister does not wish to drawn into the row over Heathrow and Boris Island but the efforts of the Welsh Government will be on ensuring the future of Cardiff Airport.
First Minister to discuss airport strategy at crucial ministerial meeting - view article
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Sussex and Asia
Posts: 334
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I've been associated with EGFF Cardiff ever since I learnt to fly there 32 years ago.
The sad thing is the management have dreams above what can be achieved and in my opinion have gone down the Blackpool, Newquay and Norwich route of pricing themselves out of the Ryanair market.
Bristol has the low cost carriers and despite the difficulty of getting to their site by road they have excelled. Logic suggests that Filton should be the international airport for the south west and Cardiff should concentrate on aircraft maintenance. There is no way they can ever extend the runway.
The sad thing is the management have dreams above what can be achieved and in my opinion have gone down the Blackpool, Newquay and Norwich route of pricing themselves out of the Ryanair market.
Bristol has the low cost carriers and despite the difficulty of getting to their site by road they have excelled. Logic suggests that Filton should be the international airport for the south west and Cardiff should concentrate on aircraft maintenance. There is no way they can ever extend the runway.
What a waste of a good airfield. Boris and the politicians should have got hold of this one and named it 'London West' With all the excellent rail and motorway facilities available Filton has to be one of the best in the country.I still have trouble navigating around Bristol's one way systems trying to get to that field on the hill called Lulsgate.
And in 10 years from now I guess Filton will be another housing estate.
And in 10 years from now I guess Filton will be another housing estate.