How is the Welsh Government actively working to stimulate and enhance air travel at Cardiff Airport, especially in light of Qatar Airway's withdrawal last year?
It is our objective to secure the long-term future of Cardiff Airport. It is vital for Wales’s economic development that we have strong international connectivity to and from Wales as well as a welcoming open door for tourism and major events.
The services and routes offered at Cardiff Airport are a matter for the airport’s board and airline operators. Ministers do not intervene in the airport’s day-to-day commercial operating matters. The executive team at the airport continues to work hard to restore flights and diversify the business as part of its recovery from the pandemic.
The Minister for Economy and I meet regularly with Cardiff Airport executives to maintain the strategic relationship with the Welsh Government asset. The executive team at the airport works closely with Welsh Government officials across the economy department, to look at economic opportunities across trade, inward investment, and tourism for the benefit of both the airport and wider Welsh economy.
The executive team also works with organisations and businesses within the Cardiff Airport and Bro Tathan business park Enterprise Zone to promote the area globally as a leading UK aerospace location. Discussions remain ongoing about the resumption of the Qatar Airways’ Doha service from Cardiff. We would welcome the resumption of the service.