Advertisement

Cardiff Airport 'missing passenger targets'

Cardiff Airport is missing its own passenger and profit targets and lacks a long term plan for growth, according to a new report from a group of AMs. The airport says the Public Accounts Committee is looking backwards, and its operating a rolling two-year business plan.

View all 2 updates ›

Airport 'confident' it can build on its success

Credit: ITV Wales

Cardiff Airport says a report criticising its performance is looking backwards and the airport is still growing.

The Public Accounts Committee says passenger numbers have risen under Welsh Government ownership of the airport, but the committee says the rise isn’t as high as first predicted, and that by the airport management’s own admission, numbers are currently a year behind target.

The PAC is looking backwards. We are continuously forward-looking with a real vision for the future of the airport. This is being realised each week with a stream of great news based on a robust plan.

Cardiff Airport is now approaching the end of its 10th consecutive month of growth, achieving an increase in passenger numbers of 21% on a rolling 12 month basis. 2015 saw a number of developments including a new base for Flybe, now with 15 routes on offer, as well as consistently strong performances from airlines including Thomson, KLM, Vueling, Aer Lingus and Thomas Cook. This growing confidence in the airport has been achieved as we work to turn around customer perceptions after years of under investment.

Looking ahead to the coming year we are confident we will build on this success. We continue to work with new and incumbent airlines to offer more travel choices for our customers and we will continue to enhance the passenger journey with a new departures area opening in summer 2016.

– Debra Barber, Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer at Cardiff Airport

More top news