Last week, The Times reported on the closure of the Bosch plant, which included a few lines about Cardiff Airport. This prompted a response from the airport’s Managing Director, Patrick Duffy. In response, this opinion journalist has crafted a reply with brutal honesty. The question posed by Mr. Duffy was, “what’s actually broken?” The answer to this is that there is a lack of competition between airlines, leading to higher prices and a lack of access to the airport. This is further compounded by a lack of motorway access and spotty public transport.
The journalist has had 33 years of experience in the airline industry, working both directly for airlines and with local authorities on airport expansion. This experience has given them an understanding of the complexities of the modern airline business.
The response from Mr. Duffy was to suggest that the Welsh Assembly Government fund a weekly Delta transatlantic flight at a significant subsidy amount. However, this is not the solution to the problem. Instead, what is needed is regular, competitive EU-wide service to continental business hubs. It is clear that the Cardiff Airport is in need of reform. The question now is, when will the Managing Director take the necessary steps to bring about this change?
Cardiff Airport has been a source of frustration for many passengers. The airport’s infrastructure has failed to attract business and investment to Wales, and the business culture is focused on personal interests rather than what is best for the community and country.
Unless this changes, the only solutions offered will be excuses and questions about the author’s motivation. Rather than spending a large sum of money on cosmetic renovations, the airport should focus on a direct selling effort, market research, and a coordinated private-public inbound development strategy. This would require someone to take the lead and put in hard work and effort, which carries the risk of failure. When the current executive joined, they made a number of cosmetic changes, such as changing the logo and signs, painting the building, and updating the website. However, these efforts failed to prevent the loss of business and carriers during the recession.
The question of how Cardiff Airport can justify its expense, despite serving only 8 airlines, has been raised. With a 40-minute journey from downtown via inadequate local roads, the airport’s viability as a transport Centre is in question. It is concerning that Cardiff may be losing out to Bristol and Birmingham in the air travel market, and the source of the e-mail address used to contact this enquiry is unclear. Further questions have been raised about the relationship between Cardiff and Co (C&C) chairman Bill Savage and TBI, a transportation consultant. Is Mr. Savage working with TBI in a paid capacity? If so, how would this relationship be characterized? These questions need to be addressed in order to ensure that Cardiff Airport is a viable transport Centre.
The closure of the Bosch plant in Wales has sparked outrage amongst journalists and locals alike, with the potential to affect 900 families. Politicians have made vapid statements, yet failed to take any meaningful action. This lack of action is even more concerning when considering the £3 million spent by International Business Wales on agencies in the Far East, and the insensitive C&C e-mail blunder. The tone-deaf, taxpayer-funded black-tie gala dinner in the Cardiff Museum, attended by 300 locals and public servants, was an insult to every taxpayer. This is especially true in light of the millions of pounds that have been spent over the last six years on ‘business and inbound capital development’ with no accountability or focus. As the Welsh economy continues to struggle, the question remains whether the government will take action to bring it into balance. With a shrinking tax base, will the focus shift to creating jobs and infrastructure that works? Or will it be business as usual, with everyone looking out for themselves?
The poetic irony of Tiger Woods potentially missing out on the Wales Open has not gone unnoticed. With the potential for a halving of international television audience interest and exposure, the question remains whether anyone in Wales will rise to the occasion or if the nation’s leadership will sink to their level of training. These questions remain unanswered as we enter the new year. Patrick Duffy, the managing director of Cardiff Airport’s operators TBI-Albertus, recently sent an email to UK Progressive Editor-in-Chief Denis Campbell, expressing his concern that an article written by Campbell may have lacked qualification. Duffy suggested that the notion of Cardiff Airport being “broken” was an incorrect assumption, as the reason for the lack of routes and airlines may not be caused by the airport itself.
Cardiff Airport offers a unique opportunity to investigate the reasons behind the current state of air travel in South Wales. The airport’s traffic mix is largely determined by the presence of budget airlines such as Ryanair and EasyJet, and zero cost airports are unlikely to make a significant difference. The root cause of the situation lies in the fact that these airlines must be able to sell tickets to passengers at a sufficient level to justify their investment. The economics of the situation may also be affecting the price of airline tickets in the smaller market of South Wales. How can this concept be dealt with economically? Investment in modernizing the airport facility may help the airport operator to optimize the asset, but it is unlikely to improve the market conditions around South Wales. It is therefore important to develop a business case to enhance the physicality of the airport, even in a ‘challenged’ market.
Despite the efforts of Cardiff Airport to provide opportunities to the community, many commentators and pundits often fail to understand the business model. This is particularly evident in the belief that airports are the sole determinants of route connections and ticket prices. This lack of understanding of the underlying causes of the issue can make it difficult to find a solution. Recently, a major airline expressed interest in developing a transatlantic service but noted that the South Wales market was too small to develop an adequate business case. Cardiff Airport convinced the airline to consider a mechanism to consider the opportunity while avoiding the risks. However, the public and private sector in South Wales were not interested in the mechanism. This raises the question: what is actually broken?
Patrick Duffy
Standard Cardiff Airport E-mail legalese. Note: I was indeed the party intended to receive it.
Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail
The views of the author of this e-mail may not reflect those of Cardiff International Airport Limited, or any of its associated companies. Cardiff International Airport Limited accepts no responsibility for the views, statements, or opinions of the author.
This e-mail and its attachments are intended for the above named recipient(s) only and may contain confidential information. Any liability (in negligence, contract, or otherwise) arising as a result of any third party taking any action or refraining from taking any action on the basis of the information contained in this e-mail is hereby excluded.
If you are not the intended recipient(s) of this e-mail please notify the sender or postmaster@cwl.aero immediately and delete or destroy any record of it. Do not discuss, disclose the content to any person, store, copy, or forward the information in any medium or use it for any purpose whatsoever.
No warranty is given that this e-mail and any attachments are free from viruses.
The integrity of unencrypted Internet e-mail cannot be guaranteed. All liability is excluded to the extent permitted by law for any claims arising as a result of the use of this medium.
Any communication using Cardiff International Airport Limited computer or telecommunication systems may be monitored and/or recorded, for security and quality assurance purposes.
Cardiff International Airport Limited is a private limited company registered in England and Wales under company registration number 2076096 whose registered office address is TBI House, 72-104 Frank Lester Way, London Luton Airport, Luton, Bedfordshire LU2 9NQ.
e-mail: infodesk@cwl.aero
www: http://www.tbicardiffairport.com
