CARDIFF - 2

[AirGuru]

Passengers up 30.3% on last February, mainly due to rugby/football charters, but even after stripping them off the airport is showing good signs of growth, which it will need now due to the reduction in capacity by both charter operators in the Summer (TCX going back to A320 and TOM's 2x B737-800).

[Letsflycwl]

Let's hope we get a Toronto flight back soon, doesn't feel right not being able to fly direct to Toronto from Cardiff.......there's always been good loads notably with Wardair, Worldways, Nationair, Air Transat and Zoom.....always a popular route, let's hope it's on the Welsh Government got list !! Air Canada Rouge would be a good candidate, split with Belfast.....the Welsh & Northern Ireland Governments need to get a good case together

[davidjohnson6]

Perhaps a few more scheduled European routes to make CWL a bit less dependent on the holiday charters first ?

[AirGuru]

This is the TOM schedule from CWL for Summer 2015. 2 based aircraft. 36 weekly departures, compared to this Summers 34. ACE +1, AYT +1. I believe that the AYT will be operated by a based unit, with the BJV and one of the DLM being OHY operated.


Palma: 6x weekly
Ibiza: 3x weekly
Menorca: 1x weekly
Reus: 1x weekly
Alicante: 2x weekly
Malaga: 2x weekly
Tenerife South: 1x weekly
Gran Canaria: 1x weekly
Lanzarote: 2x weekly
Faro: 1x weekly
Malta: 1x weekly
Enfidha: 1x weekly
Corfu: 1x weekly
Bourgas: 1x weekly
Heraklion: 1x weekly
Rhodes: 1x weekly
Kos: 1x weekly
Kefalonia: 1x weekly
Zante: 1x weekly
Paphos: 1x weekly
Larnaca: 1x weekly
Dalaman: 2x weekly
Bodrum: 1x weekly
Antalya: 1x weekly
Sharm el Sheikh: 1x weekly

[Skipness One Echo]

Let's hope we get a Toronto flight back soon, doesn't feel right not being able to fly direct to Toronto from Cardiff.

That's a 1980s mentality, when families went to see Granny who had emigrated years ago. Nowadays people have *way* more options which is why that market died out, almost literally. Zoom did so well they went bust remember. Air Canada Rouge launched EDI due to large inbound tourist numbers visiting Scotland which is now a huge place to visit in it's own right. Transat walked away after failing to keep a single EDI-YYZ, and have recently dropped NCL and EXT. BHX remains one single flight per week. It's not right that taxpayers money should be funding a CWL-BFS-YYZ jolly just for the sake of long haul surely?

[newscaster]

Any chance of one of the ME 3 flying to Cardiff ever?

[Phileas Fogg]

It's not right that taxpayers money should be funding a CWL-BFS-YYZ jolly just for the sake of long haul surely?

And many a GB punter still has a phobia about Northern Ireland and consider it to the last place on earth they would want to visit!

P.S. No offence intended to N. Ireland nationals, just saying how it is for the 'Joe Public' of the UK mainland.

[rutankrd]

Any chance of one of the ME 3 flying to Cardiff ever?

Never say never , however the timeframes are probably indistinguishable !

Cardiff needs to focus its attentions like many of the UK regional airports and imho there are far too many !

That focus should be working with their regional business leaders via Chambers of Commerce links with CBI and Institute of Directors and locally based travel agents and actually finding out what the local air travel requirements are.

Then going out to airlines and tour operators with the relevant data and SELLING their offerings.

They should also be working with Wales political leaders in Cardiff and Whitehall and with Arriva to ensure quality ground connections are available.

All those things probably do happen but still people from the region board FGW IC125 or ATW Class 170 or Arriva Cross Country trains and off to those larger airports in London, Manchester or Birmingham.

Or simple get in their car and drive an hour or so to that airport on a foggy hill just across the water or a little longer to Slough Windsor and Hounslow Regional.

[Phileas Fogg]

Arriva to ensure quality ground connections are available

Oh there's plenty of ground connections available ... there's an empty bus with wifi every 20 minutes!

[rutankrd]

And many a GB punter still has a phobia about Northern Ireland and consider it to the last place on earth they would want to visit!

P.S. No offence intended to N. Ireland nationals, just saying how it is for the 'Joe Public' of the UK mainland.

I think rather less so with those under thirty. You are referencing prejustices found among those in mid forties and above.

Youngsters find the Bars of Belfast rather fascinating.

However the place "of my father" can be a bit odd out of town and as you drive though villages of Antrim with flags of preference still flying high !

[Phileas Fogg]

Youngsters find the Bars of Belfast rather fascinating.

I think you'll find the youngsters find the bars of Eastern Europe somewhat more fascinating than those of Belfast ... Just ask many a Ryanair passenger

[ScotsSLF]

"P.S. No offence intended to N. Ireland nationals, just saying how it is for the 'Joe Public' of the UK mainland."

Perhaps only for some of the Joe Publics south of Hadrian's Wall. Most of us north of the border have no issue with travelling to and from Northern Ireland. And many of the bars of Belfast are really nice places to visit.

[planenut321]

Looks like Ryanair are back.

One weekly flight to Tenerife for this winter. That was unexpected.

[AirGuru]

Very, very unexpected announcement this Planenut !

I think a rather large congratulations is in order to the CWL team ! This is a rather massive coup for the airport, and if successful this could become something more.

[pwalhx]

I think the majority South of Hadrian s Wall would find Mr. Fogg's view outdated

[pee]

Looks like Ryanair are back.

After eight years of absence? Wow, that's something!

[davidjohnson6]

Ryanair returning to CWL is a good thing for the airport, but with a UK economy that is loking healthier than it has for a long time, I'm not so sure a winter 1x weekly service to Tenerife at a time when many FR aircraft are unused because of low demand counts as a 'massive coup'. I'd want to see something more substantial before getting particularly excited about FR's return to Cardiff.

[AirGuru]

Lets be fair, CWL has been looking for this sort of route/carrier for years now, and finally it has came, however small the offering may be. If this route is supported, we can only hope for more.

[Phileas Fogg]

Ryanair returning to CWL is a good thing for the airport, but with a UK economy that is loking healthier than it has for a long time, I'm not so sure a winter 1x weekly service to Tenerife at a time when many FR aircraft are unused because of low demand counts as a 'massive coup'. I'd want to see something more substantial before getting particularly excited about FR's return to Cardiff.

"UK economy"? ... Am I missing something, Ryanair ain't "UK" so any profits made are going to the Irish economy ... or indeed someone's back pocket in Ireland!

[davidjohnson6]

Cardiff is in the UK and a route like CWL-TFS will depend on residents of south Wales feeling wealthy enough to go to Tenerife for a week's holiday. While every area has its own local nuances, broadly speaking a stronger UK economy is likely to mean more Welsh residents feel able to afford a week in the sun.