0:00:03 > 0:00:07Welsh travellers flying in, flying out.
0:00:07 > 0:00:15But not from Cardiff Airport. Tonight, we speak to unhappy
0:00:15 > 0:00:19travellers. We should have our own national
0:00:19 > 0:00:26airport and we should be able to fly out of it.
0:00:26 > 0:00:33We test the Cardiff experience. It is a bit like an underground
0:00:33 > 0:00:38car-park. A political row reignites.
0:00:38 > 0:00:48This is typical of the kind of attitude we have had.
0:00:48 > 0:01:14
0:01:14 > 0:01:17We ask, can Cardiff Airport ever Since BMI Baby pulled out last year
0:01:17 > 0:01:22from Cardiff Airport, you just have to go to Bristol because of the
0:01:22 > 0:01:28cost. Which is infuriating because I am travelling more or less past
0:01:28 > 0:01:31Cardiff Airport to get to LLancarfan from Bristol.
0:01:31 > 0:01:38For tens of thousands, the journey between Wales and Spain just got
0:01:38 > 0:01:44more difficult. The Welsh travellers on this plane
0:01:44 > 0:01:52boarded it in England, not Wales. What is wrong with Cardiff, why are
0:01:52 > 0:01:55they not doing the flights? It was cheaper for me to have a
0:01:55 > 0:02:02taxi back from Bristol into Wales than it was for me to fly into
0:02:03 > 0:02:07Cardiff Airport. It's left Welsh people in both countries frustrated.
0:02:07 > 0:02:13You are flying out every month enjoying the sun and all of a
0:02:13 > 0:02:15sudden it is gone. When a budget airline launched
0:02:15 > 0:02:19cheap, frequent flights between Cardiff and the Costa Blanca, Welsh
0:02:19 > 0:02:25people bought holiday homes in Spanish resorts. Some liked it so
0:02:25 > 0:02:33much, they moved here. My name is Mark Evans, I was born
0:02:33 > 0:02:36in St Mellons. I have now moved out and live in Moraira. I've been here
0:02:36 > 0:02:42for the last five years. Mark's family live just three miles from
0:02:42 > 0:02:49Cardiff Airport. Having children back in South Wales, I want to keep
0:02:50 > 0:02:52in touch. So I would travel back every couple of months, three or
0:02:52 > 0:02:54four days at a time and it was straightforward, there's BMI Baby
0:02:54 > 0:03:04and there was Thomson's. So they were competing with each other so
0:03:04 > 0:03:09
0:03:09 > 0:03:15prices were very reasonable, 50 to 60 euros each way. You want to be
0:03:15 > 0:03:19able to get back if there is an emergency.
0:03:19 > 0:03:26I had to go back in January and it was 358 euros. Pounds, sorry. It
0:03:27 > 0:03:29was the cheapest I could get. I flew into Bristol for 86 euro.
0:03:29 > 0:03:38I've had one cousin go all the way from Tonyrefail to Gatwick, because
0:03:38 > 0:03:41it was cheaper. You're spending half a day going to Gatwick.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Cardiff is 10 minutes. Mark and his Welsh expat friends
0:03:44 > 0:03:48were so angry about losing their flights home that he contacted BBC
0:03:48 > 0:03:52Wales. This email from Mark Evans who now
0:03:52 > 0:03:55lives in Alicante, lucky boy. He says, "All the Welsh who want to go
0:03:55 > 0:04:00to Benidorm this year will have to use Bristol." Dave, let's start
0:04:00 > 0:04:08with you, Cardiff Airport? Rubbish! The times are much better in
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Bristol for flying. There's hardly any transport, not
0:04:11 > 0:04:14everyone can afford a taxi. Thanks to Roger in Porthcawl for
0:04:14 > 0:04:17this one. The only thing that's flying around
0:04:17 > 0:04:21Wales at the moment is on your programme, I tell you now.
0:04:21 > 0:04:31But Roger's humour has been stretched. He bought a villa in
0:04:31 > 0:04:34
0:04:34 > 0:04:36Spain on the strength of frequent flights out of Cardiff.
0:04:36 > 0:04:44At the time, the budget airline were flying out there a couple of
0:04:44 > 0:04:50times a week, so that encouraged us to buy out there. Sadly, BMI Baby
0:04:50 > 0:04:52disappeared. Which was devastating for us, because that was our
0:04:52 > 0:04:56holiday resort. That was our holiday home, that was where we
0:04:56 > 0:05:02wanted to go. Roger's golfing partner runs a
0:05:02 > 0:05:07business bringing golf tourists into Wales.
0:05:08 > 0:05:13The problem we have got as a golf travel company is we cannot get our
0:05:13 > 0:05:20clients into Wales and to their hotels quickly and efficiently. We
0:05:20 > 0:05:25have to bring people into London, Manchester and Liverpool. That
0:05:25 > 0:05:30means people on a budget, they will probably not choose Wales as a
0:05:30 > 0:05:40travel destination. The golf industry in Ireland and Scotland is
0:05:40 > 0:05:43
0:05:43 > 0:05:46booming. We're not booming in Wales. So how bad has it got at Cardiff
0:05:46 > 0:05:48Airport? There were 30 percent fewer flights last year, than at
0:05:48 > 0:05:51the airport's peak four years ago. Profits are down by two thirds.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56Passenger numbers have almost halved. BMI Baby's departure is
0:05:56 > 0:06:02thought to have cost the airport 600,000 passengers alone. Cardiff
0:06:02 > 0:06:04has been owned since 2005 by the Spanish company, Abertis. The First
0:06:04 > 0:06:08Minister says he wouldn't want to bring anyone through it because of
0:06:08 > 0:06:14the impression it gives. So we decided to bring one of Britain's
0:06:14 > 0:06:17best known travel writers through it ourselves.
0:06:17 > 0:06:26Cardiff Airport, I haven't been here for about three years or so.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28Looking at it, neither have the decorators.
0:06:28 > 0:06:35I know that Wales's First Minister is worried about how Cardiff
0:06:35 > 0:06:39Airport looks. But frankly to me, it looks brilliant because there's
0:06:39 > 0:06:45nobody here. This what you want to see. You don't care that maybe it's
0:06:45 > 0:06:54a tiny bit threadbare. There's a lady over there hovering very
0:06:54 > 0:06:57effectively, but not an awful lot of people.
0:06:57 > 0:07:05When you can get your entire day's departures into a couple of screens,
0:07:05 > 0:07:11that's not a good look. From the airport's point of view,
0:07:11 > 0:07:21pretty bleak. But where have all the passengers
0:07:21 > 0:07:25gone? Most of them across the border to airports in England.
0:07:25 > 0:07:35It's helped fuel Cardiff's decline. And Bristol Airport, in particular,
0:07:35 > 0:07:37is feeling the benefit. Bristol is a base for big, budget
0:07:37 > 0:07:45airlines like Ryanair and Easyjet, who offer cheap flights to many
0:07:45 > 0:07:47destinations. And this acts like a magnet to passengers from Wales.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50Around one in six people who logically should be using Cardiff
0:07:50 > 0:07:55Airport, fly instead from Bristol. And there was evidence of that on
0:07:55 > 0:07:57the day we visited. 15 percent of Bristol's passengers come from
0:07:57 > 0:08:07Wales.The departure lounge is packed and lots of Welsh passengers
0:08:07 > 0:08:08
0:08:08 > 0:08:12were flying to Paris, a route also served by Cardiff.
0:08:12 > 0:08:22The main reason we've come here is because of the cost. It's cheaper
0:08:22 > 0:08:23
0:08:23 > 0:08:25to park, cheaper to fly as well. What would persuade you to fly from
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Cardiff? Cheaper flights, more destinations, better facilities in
0:08:28 > 0:08:30the airport. Many people are willing to travel longer distances
0:08:30 > 0:08:34in search of cheaper fares. Like Ruth Smith from Whitchurch in
0:08:34 > 0:08:39Cardiff. She's a frequent flyer and visits family all over the world.
0:08:39 > 0:08:44She plans her journeys with precision.
0:08:44 > 0:08:53I normally put it on a spreadsheet. When I make my decision, I will be
0:08:53 > 0:08:57influenced by price in the first instance and then convenience.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59Where does Cardiff score on this? Cardiff is top of the list on
0:09:00 > 0:09:03convenience. But on price, it's way down the bottom and always is, even
0:09:03 > 0:09:12when you're travelling into Europe. I'm going to book a flight today to
0:09:12 > 0:09:15go to Zurich. It will be a substantial fleet more from Cardiff.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19It'll be approximately �250 to go from Cardiff. Booking the flight
0:09:19 > 0:09:21late now, it'll be about �78 to go from Luton. But even doing the
0:09:21 > 0:09:25maths, with the travelling back and forth, Luton's the best choice on
0:09:25 > 0:09:28price. And it's the same with long-haul.
0:09:28 > 0:09:37For a trip to Australia to see her son, Ruth could have flown from
0:09:37 > 0:09:43Cardiff via Amsterdam. But it's more expensive from Cardiff.
0:09:43 > 0:09:53Heathrow to Hong Kong, Melbourne to Adelaide, you would not want to
0:09:53 > 0:09:57
0:09:57 > 0:10:00attack in before a flight so it is easier to go to Heathrow.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02Business Stategist, Mike Snelgrove, has charted the rise and fall of
0:10:02 > 0:10:05Cardiff Airport over the past seven years. He says the willingness of
0:10:05 > 0:10:09Welsh passengers to look elsewhere has a significant impact. Lots of
0:10:09 > 0:10:11people say they want to fly from Cardiff. Well, they may say that,
0:10:11 > 0:10:17but their behaviour is something else, people are promiscuous in
0:10:17 > 0:10:20their behaviour. Whilst they say they're loyal to Cardiff Airport,
0:10:20 > 0:10:23if Bristol has the right flights to the right destination at the right
0:10:23 > 0:10:27price, then that's where they'll go. Bristol has managed to attract big
0:10:27 > 0:10:30budget airlines, household names. Has Cardiff really suffered because
0:10:30 > 0:10:39of that success? It does, because they have a huge impact on people's
0:10:39 > 0:10:41travel choices. The more passengers they have, with the right sort of
0:10:41 > 0:10:44airlines, going to more destinations with more frequency,
0:10:44 > 0:10:46builds this gravity that draws people in. Airlines are going to be
0:10:46 > 0:10:49willing to place their aircraft there and it just snowballs, it
0:10:49 > 0:10:56snowballs, it snowballs. Over a million people flew out of
0:10:56 > 0:10:58Cardiff last year. Five times as many use Bristol. The catchment
0:10:59 > 0:11:06area of Bristol is almost twice the size of Cardiff's and growing.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09Bristol has plans to carry 10 million passengers by 2020.
0:11:09 > 0:11:19Easyjet has 11 aircraft at Bristol, Ryanair has five. So why does that
0:11:19 > 0:11:24
0:11:24 > 0:11:27matter? If the number of aircraft are
0:11:27 > 0:11:29increased to four or five, then the cost you've got to have your
0:11:29 > 0:11:31engineering facilities, your check- in staff to go with it, office
0:11:31 > 0:11:34staff, would be apportioned against four or five aircraft, which would
0:11:34 > 0:11:40be reflected in reduced ticket prices. He's flown budget airliners
0:11:40 > 0:11:42into Cardiff and Bristol thousands of times. The larger the number of
0:11:42 > 0:11:45aircraft, against just having a single aircraft, or indeed two
0:11:45 > 0:11:55aircraft as we've seen in the case of a low-cost airline in Cardiff,
0:11:55 > 0:11:57
0:11:57 > 0:12:00it just wasn't viable. And as passengers turn to Bristol
0:12:00 > 0:12:02in search of low fares, so they take with them the money they could
0:12:02 > 0:12:03be spending in Cardiff Airport. Like Cardiff, and most other
0:12:03 > 0:12:12regional airports, Bristol actually loses money on its flying
0:12:12 > 0:12:14operations. But because the budget airlines pull in such large numbers
0:12:14 > 0:12:22of passengers, Bristol is able to make bigger profits on its shops,
0:12:22 > 0:12:26its restaurants and its car parking. There are fewer airlines to pull in
0:12:26 > 0:12:29the traveller's pound at Cardiff, though.
0:12:29 > 0:12:39But is it only the flights which dictate your choice of airport?
0:12:39 > 0:12:41
0:12:41 > 0:12:45Simon Calder is still checking in. I just can't get it to work. Join
0:12:45 > 0:12:55the queue. Where did all these people come from, where are they
0:12:55 > 0:13:02
0:13:02 > 0:13:05all going? What's happened here rather exposes
0:13:05 > 0:13:10the problems of small airports. A bus turns up and all of a sudden
0:13:10 > 0:13:20there's a queue. The fact that the self service machines aren't
0:13:20 > 0:13:25
0:13:25 > 0:13:31working doesn't help. Well that was not impressive. Had I
0:13:31 > 0:13:39been at London City Airport, which is by far the Business Airport of
0:13:39 > 0:13:41choice, I would have missed my plane.
0:13:41 > 0:13:51Cardiff Airport told us the check- in machines were fixed shortly
0:13:51 > 0:13:52
0:13:52 > 0:13:59afterwards. Next, the departure What every traveller wants his Wi-
0:13:59 > 0:14:03Fi. But I just want to check my emails. �5 for an hour. You're
0:14:03 > 0:14:08joking, Cardiff Airport! I can take Kitwood dozen airports around the
0:14:08 > 0:14:16UK where they would give you free Wi-Fi and you will not have to fill
0:14:16 > 0:14:20out all of these things. -- take you to a dozen airports.
0:14:20 > 0:14:25Simon leaves behind a terminal waiting for a �26 million
0:14:25 > 0:14:32redevelopment. The Welsh government offered �5 million towards it.
0:14:32 > 0:14:37Cardiff's Spanish owners say they are investing all the time but the
0:14:37 > 0:14:41big project have been put on hold. I have to say, at the moment, I
0:14:41 > 0:14:46would not want to bring people into Cardiff Airport because of the
0:14:46 > 0:14:52impression that brings of Wales. Either we need to run the airport
0:14:52 > 0:14:56properly or said. I have met the owners of the airport twice. I have
0:14:56 > 0:15:02put these points to them and be met with a shrug of the shoulders. It
0:15:02 > 0:15:06is not good enough. Cardiff Airport has other priorities. Management at
0:15:06 > 0:15:11the Senedd are celebrating a new airline launching flights from
0:15:11 > 0:15:14Cardiff for the summer season at least. The goodwill of the occasion
0:15:14 > 0:15:18masking the tension behind the scenes. How do you feel about being
0:15:18 > 0:15:28here in the Senedd when the First Minister has said the airport
0:15:28 > 0:15:30
0:15:30 > 0:15:40should be run properly or sold? well... We don't have anything to
0:15:40 > 0:15:48
0:15:48 > 0:15:52say about the ideas. It is Along with Cardiff, several other
0:15:52 > 0:15:57airports are expanding. What would you say to those who say your
0:15:57 > 0:16:07interest is in Luton Airport and not Cardiff? You are happy to let
0:16:07 > 0:16:12Cardiff sweat. It is making a bit The First Minister would like you
0:16:12 > 0:16:22to invest more than �20 million in the airport. It is that a realistic
0:16:22 > 0:16:27
0:16:27 > 0:16:31This is typical of the kind of attitude we have had. After we have
0:16:31 > 0:16:35talked to them, after all the work we have done to get the funding
0:16:35 > 0:16:40package approved, they turn around and say, not interested. It is not
0:16:40 > 0:16:45good enough. His postbag was full of complaints about the terminal.
0:16:45 > 0:16:52We need commitment from the owners of the terminal. We have given our
0:16:52 > 0:16:57commitment. Otherwise the future long-term for Cardiff is not good.
0:16:57 > 0:17:04Thank you for coming to join us today. For the airport, though, the
0:17:04 > 0:17:13future is bright yellow. Vueling is not a very known airline in the UK
0:17:13 > 0:17:19and certainly not in Wales... Strangeland believes this could
0:17:19 > 0:17:29turn around Cardiff's fortunes. But they need to fill in the seeds over
0:17:29 > 0:17:31
0:17:31 > 0:17:37the summer to make them profitable. -- Vueling. Can you give guarantees
0:17:37 > 0:17:41that you will succeed where Others Before you have singularly failed?
0:17:41 > 0:17:45If we are able to offer a competitive price on these
0:17:45 > 0:17:52destinations for an airport closer to them, it makes no difference
0:17:52 > 0:17:57whatever issues there maybe with the airport. They will not matter.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00But which matters most to the Welsh expats we met out in Spain? They
0:18:00 > 0:18:05bought dream holiday homes off the back of frequent flights from
0:18:05 > 0:18:11Cardiff. On this day, the arrivals and departures board at Alicante
0:18:11 > 0:18:15trade shows flights to just about anywhere in Britain. But not Wales.
0:18:15 > 0:18:20For expat Mark Evans, what used to be as simple journey home to beat
0:18:20 > 0:18:26his children now requires detailed research. -- to see his children.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29do not think Cardiff is that bad and airport. I wouldn't mind if it
0:18:29 > 0:18:35was a tin shed if it was in Cardiff! Because it would make it
0:18:35 > 0:18:40that much more convenient as opposed to Bristol. And do Welsh
0:18:40 > 0:18:44businesses claim more about the state -- care more about the state
0:18:44 > 0:18:52of the airport or the lack of light into which? Quint is the word I
0:18:52 > 0:18:57think Americans use. -- quaint. He couldn't believe it was an
0:18:57 > 0:19:01international airport. People only come in from Hollande and even then,
0:19:02 > 0:19:06it is only their second choice because they would rather fly
0:19:06 > 0:19:15Bristol because it is cheaper. It is down to the availability of
0:19:15 > 0:19:19cheap low-cost flights in and out of Cardiff. Off but attracting and
0:19:19 > 0:19:26keeping airlines in Cardiff may prove difficult with competition
0:19:26 > 0:19:31from Bristol pulling airlines away. Flights were launched director
0:19:31 > 0:19:37Zurich last year by another airline butter and now has to pick up
0:19:37 > 0:19:47passengers. And there are concerns for the airport if passenger
0:19:47 > 0:19:51numbers for any further. If the new relationships fail to produce the
0:19:51 > 0:19:57goods, they could fall even further. Could Cardiff Airport be considered
0:19:58 > 0:20:00viable at that point? I do not think so. I think it would lose
0:20:00 > 0:20:07anything approaching to the critical mass it would need to
0:20:07 > 0:20:13survive. Simon Calder has just got off his flight from Cardiff into
0:20:13 > 0:20:19Edinburgh Airport. It has just been sold for �800 million. Spot the
0:20:19 > 0:20:24difference! Welcome to Scotland! Airports are all about critical
0:20:24 > 0:20:28mass. You need to have a certain number of passengers, is certain
0:20:28 > 0:20:35number of flight, and then success breeds success, as it has done very
0:20:35 > 0:20:44well indeed here in Edinburgh. The departures and arrivals boards tell
0:20:44 > 0:20:48the story of any airport here. Flights to Frankfurt, Milan,
0:20:48 > 0:20:54Cologne. And one from New York. That would be good for Cardiff,
0:20:54 > 0:21:00wouldn't it? The competition for such routes is fierce. And often
0:21:00 > 0:21:04involves some financial support from airports and governments.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09Roger Parsons has seen airlines come and go from Cardiff and wants
0:21:09 > 0:21:14to know whether enough incentives are being offered. There are many
0:21:14 > 0:21:20budget airlines flying from the UK. Have they been approached? And if
0:21:20 > 0:21:25so, why haven't they come in? Is there something stopping him? Is it
0:21:25 > 0:21:29charges? Does Cardiff Airport really want them there? There must
0:21:29 > 0:21:34be a million passengers waiting to fly out of Cardiff. They are going
0:21:34 > 0:21:39elsewhere. Ryanair had an aeroplane at Cardiff but pulled out in 2006
0:21:39 > 0:21:47in a row over landing fees. They took their aircraft to Bristol. So
0:21:47 > 0:21:51is Cardiff being undercut? Robert Sinclair runs Bristol Airport.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55Obviously, this is confidential and there are many rumours about the
0:21:55 > 0:22:00deals various airports do with low- cost air carriers. Would you go as
0:22:00 > 0:22:07low as 50 pence as a landing fee for a Ryanair jet? Never. If how
0:22:07 > 0:22:12low would you go? Clearly I am not going to speculate on that. Not on
0:22:12 > 0:22:16our commercial arrangements with airlines. Cardiff were not willing
0:22:16 > 0:22:21to tell us what deal they have been given either. But we were told they
0:22:21 > 0:22:25would probably have to levy no charges a tour to get Ryanair back.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29Even so, it is clear that airport charges are not the end of the
0:22:29 > 0:22:33story. Both Ryanair and easyJet said they want an airport that can
0:22:33 > 0:22:38match their ambitions for growth. And Ryanair said that Cardiff had
0:22:38 > 0:22:43missed their chance. For now, at least. Cardiff airports is it is
0:22:43 > 0:22:53talking to airlines and government on a weekly basis. But with the
0:22:53 > 0:23:03
0:23:03 > 0:23:09Spanish owners sell up? -- will the So they are open to offers. But how
0:23:09 > 0:23:18much is Cardiff Airport worth? We understand when Strangeland bought
0:23:18 > 0:23:23it in 2005, the company valued the airport at about �150 million. --
0:23:23 > 0:23:28Abertis. The price had gone up to �200 million though Abertis will
0:23:28 > 0:23:34not confirm this. Their profits had fallen, one expert says the airport
0:23:34 > 0:23:38could be now less -- worth less than �30 million. That would be a
0:23:38 > 0:23:41huge loss for Abertis to accept. But the expert said it would be
0:23:41 > 0:23:46equally difficult to persuade private investors to pay more than
0:23:46 > 0:23:53the market value for this airport. So would the Welsh government by
0:23:53 > 0:23:58it? No. We can't do that. There is no a question of it. We would look
0:23:58 > 0:24:03to work closely with any new buyers. No question about that. We would
0:24:03 > 0:24:10look favourably on any new roads we can perhaps support. Could you take
0:24:10 > 0:24:15a minority stake in it? For it is possible, yes. We have money to
0:24:15 > 0:24:20spend we would consider that. something you actively considering
0:24:20 > 0:24:25now when you speak to potential buyers of the airport? Yes. Abertis
0:24:25 > 0:24:30says it is making money for them, albeit not much. Why should they
0:24:30 > 0:24:34sell? Reputation. They are looking at taking airports over in other
0:24:34 > 0:24:41parts of the world. Do they really want to have the publicity
0:24:41 > 0:24:46surrounding Cardiff Airport? And from our point of you, they should
0:24:46 > 0:24:49either sell it or things will carry on going on like this. The problem
0:24:49 > 0:24:56of the Welsh government throwing money at Cardiff Airport is that
0:24:56 > 0:25:00these days, every such move is extremely carefully looked over by,
0:25:00 > 0:25:04well, the European Commission and in particular all the other rival
0:25:04 > 0:25:08airports, so revile Bristol Airport, the first thing I would do is have
0:25:08 > 0:25:14a look, see how much it was going for and probably raise a large
0:25:14 > 0:25:19number of objections about unfair competition. -- if I were Bristol
0:25:19 > 0:25:22Airport. So it is a tricky path to go down. And Bristol Airport told
0:25:23 > 0:25:30us they will take legal advice if anything that the Welsh government
0:25:30 > 0:25:36does appears to distort the market. But it says it is ready to serve
0:25:36 > 0:25:41Wales' Aviation and Tourism needs. So is investing in less successful
0:25:41 > 0:25:46Cardiff a sensible use of public funds? He it will be a political
0:25:46 > 0:25:50decision as to whether we want an airport here and whether we are
0:25:50 > 0:25:54willing to provide the assistance that Cardiff needs to attract the
0:25:54 > 0:25:59new routes and destinations that are needed. A good investment for
0:25:59 > 0:26:09the taxpayer, then? A thing there would be many people who would cast
0:26:09 > 0:26:17
0:26:17 > 0:26:22doubt on that. -- I think. Thank you very much. Bye. It is a
0:26:22 > 0:26:27bit grim. A bit like wandering into an underground car-park, but here
0:26:27 > 0:26:32we are, at last. Welcome to wonderfully solid Welsh ground.
0:26:32 > 0:26:40Thank you very much. It is good to be here. There you are. A friendly
0:26:40 > 0:26:44face! Abertis have told us they are open to offers for the airport. Do
0:26:44 > 0:26:49you think it is an attractive proposition for anybody? The best
0:26:49 > 0:26:53way to make a small fortune is to start with a large fortune and go
0:26:53 > 0:27:00into aviation. Airport, just like airlines, are generally very good
0:27:00 > 0:27:05ways of losing large amounts of cash. Do you go through many
0:27:05 > 0:27:10airports when it is like this in rush-hour? I wish it were not like
0:27:10 > 0:27:16this but if things carry on the same way they are, well, it will
0:27:16 > 0:27:19continue to be something of a national embarrassment. So what is
0:27:19 > 0:27:26the future for Cardiff Airport? And in whose hands does that future
0:27:26 > 0:27:32lie? The Welsh government and Abertis were due to meet this month
0:27:32 > 0:27:36on a new airport taskforce. But no date has been agreed. In the
0:27:36 > 0:27:40meantime, the report says it is trying to bring in more airlines
0:27:41 > 0:27:46and destinations. And Cardiff's new budget carrier hopes its new route
0:27:46 > 0:27:52to Spain will take off. We are betting on it. For the summer. And
0:27:52 > 0:27:57we hope it will work. The First Minister says the airport needs
0:27:57 > 0:28:02investment or new owners. But he cannot force a private company to
0:28:02 > 0:28:08do either. Only apply pressure. is important from Abertis's point
0:28:08 > 0:28:15of view that they help us as a government. And they own the
0:28:15 > 0:28:22airport. They owe the people of Wales. But there are no signs it
0:28:22 > 0:28:25will sell at �91 million or market value. Which means any new buyer,
0:28:25 > 0:28:30including the taxpayer, could end up paying over the odds for Cardiff
0:28:30 > 0:28:35Airport. A welcome that because something needs to be done and I am
0:28:35 > 0:28:43sure I will support the airport if the pricing is right. As will many
0:28:43 > 0:28:47other people in South Wales. Anybody from South Wales wants to
0:28:47 > 0:28:55fly into Cardiff. It is home. You are coming home when you land at