South Wales Central Conservative MS Andrew RT Davies has accused Senedd ministers of “living in a parallel universe” over their failure to establish services into Cardiff Airport.
Ministers bought the airport for £52 million in 2013, and it has consumed as much as £250 million of taxpayers’ cash in total.
Speaking in the Senedd, Mr Davies told First Minister Eluned Morgan he wants to see a successful airport, but that ministers’ failure to make the airport an attractive prospect to carriers had compounded losses.
Pointing to their failure to reestablish Qatar Airways flights, Mr Davies rejected excuses regarding the COVID 19 pandemic, pointing out that every other British airport that had a link to Doha has seen services resume.
Mr Davies said:
“A thriving airport would be of huge economic benefit to South Wales, but Senedd ministers’ failure to attract carriers has seen Cardiff fall further behind neighbouring Bristol.
“Instead of making it profitable, Senedd ministers have turned it into a burden for taxpayers, consuming £250 million to date.
“Senedd ministers are living in a parallel universe, instead of using COVID as an excuse they need to work to encourage more carriers to the airport.”
ENDS
NOTE: Please find below the Senedd’s Record of Proceedings from Tuesday October 21st
Andrew R.T. Davies
13:39:05
I’m glad to see that you’re still living in your parallel universe, First Minister, given that the Welsh taxpayers put over £250 million into the airport. I want to see a successful Cardiff Airport. One of the things that you could do to develop a successful Cardiff Airport is re-establish the Qatar Airways link to Doha. At one time, you couldn’t stop a First Minister or a Minister of the economy and transport from this building jumping on a plane and going to Doha to secure that route, and I do commend the Government for doing that. [Interruption.] I hear the Member for Llanelli shouting over there that COVID happened. Every other airport in the UK that had the Doha link with Qatar Airways has had that link re-established. So, it might be worth while, instead of chopsing, that he reads the paperwork on this. When is the First Minister and her Government going to actually re-establish that link, because that would be the biggest sign that Wales is open for business and a real vote of confidence in the airport by your Government, which owns it?