A Flying Start?
The news that Cardiff Airport is to revamp its terminal http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8474283.stm is very welcome, and for those of us in public life who have criticised the appearance of and services at the airport this is to be celebrated.
I hope that the planners and the Assembly Government prioritise these changes so that we can start a renaissance at Cardiff Airport. Unlike some of my colleagues in the Senedd I am a fan of air travel and the contribution it makes to the economy and the potential it has here in Wales. Having travelled quite a lot from Bristol in the past year and having seen the quality of the airports elsewhere in the UK, such as Newcastle (seriously…it is a fantastic airport!) it is time for Cardiff to seize the opportunity.
The big issue beyond redevelopment though is being able to attract more airlines to use the airport. If we want people to flood to Cardiff then the shiniest building in the world will not do it, they need airlines that take them to where they want to go and at prices which compare well with Bristol and Birmingham. We need the management at the airport and the Welsh Assembly Government to start attracting new airlines to Cardiff because at the moment a lot of business is simply going elsewhere.
For many of my own constituents being well placed near the M4, getting to Bristol and Birmingham is not a big problem and although slightly more inconvenient than Cardiff the financial savings make it worthwhile. Hurrah to a new terminal but where are the airlines?
January 22nd, 2010 at 2:40 pm
Like you, JM, a cautious welcome. However, WAG has to be united on this one, if they are serious about making the airport work they (a) all need to be fans of, and sold on the benefits of air travel , and (b) need to look at the deeper reasons that airlines don’t use the airport. The shininess of the building fades away in the light of the lamentable efforts of WAG to sell Wales to the wider world, reflected in their hatred of the private sector.
Oh, and it would make life easier if the Conservative Party stopped threatening to use aviation as a tax punchbag after the next election. Hardly makes us folks in the airline business very willing to expand and take risks on airports like Cardiff….
January 30th, 2010 at 7:13 pm
Jonathan, you cannot have any green credentials in your party if you believe in air travel. There is more potential in trains for a less polluting future.
February 2nd, 2010 at 9:12 pm
Ah the old canard comes out from Senn… tell me, do you protest against meat farmers, McDonalds and Sainbury’s?
Global emissions from jet efflux runs, at a liberal estimate, at 3% of total. Beef farming is up at 30+%. And what is worse, in many countries, forests are being cleared to make way for cattle – a double whammy.
All in favour of trains, but they are not a panacea. Get from Wales to India by train if you can…. and remember that even electric trains are not that green. Where did all that juice come from??