Cardiff Airport Blog

Cardiff road plans opposed by National Trust

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:55:24 GMT

The National Trust has blasted the plans of Cardiff International Airport to construct a new access road. This road, if proposals to build it are accepted, may run next to meadows which are an important part of the local habitat. Furthermore, the road, which will run through the Vale of Glamorgan, may negatively impact upon a beautiful village which has won numerous awards in the past. Currently, three options for the location of the road are being considered, and the Welsh Assembly Government has expressed its desire for local people to make their views known before any final decision is made.

However, for many people living in the Vale of Glamorgan, not one of the three options is satisfactory. The large majority of the inhabitants do not want to see a new road built at all and have already made such views public. Two of the road options are focussed around the A4232 from Junction 33 of the M4 but the third option, which is perhaps the most controversial choice, would see a new road link being built to the south of the M4 junction after the one proposed by the two other potential schemes.

Furthermore, the third option, which was initially proposed in 2003 but faced opposition almost straight away from the Vale council, will entail the construction of a bypass located at Pendoylan, a village which has won numerous awards as a result of its natural beauty and historic importance.

The National Trust believes that Lanlay Meadows, which could be affected by the construction of the road, would be adversely impacted upon. A spokesman for the National Trust revealed that the meadows are a “rare survival of a type of habitat and landscape that would once have been common”. He also expressed his concern about the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on the environment.

Bmibaby reaches milestone in Cardiff

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 11:43:52 GMT

This week, Bmibaby celebrated a very special milestone. Two days ago, the airline marked six years at Cardiff airport with several celebratory events aimed at including the passengers who have made its time in the Welsh capital such a success.

Bmibaby has operated 18,000 flights from the airport since arriving in 2002 and has managed to keep approximately three and a half million passengers happy during that time. Part of the appeal of the airline is the wide range of routes offered throughout the year. Popular destinations include Spanish and Portuguese cities such as Malaga and Faro.

However, the airline also transports passengers to destinations closer to home, including Edinburgh and Belfast. As a result of its success, Bmibaby has announced a new route - Geneva will be added to the list of destinations as of the twentieth of December. This is bound to be a popular route and a nice little earner for the airline since it is one of the top ski destinations in Europe. Skiers will be able to choose from five flights a week between Cardiff and Geneva.

Earlier this year, Bmibaby was forced to quash rumours that its services from Cardiff were going to be reduced. The company’s managing director, Crawford Rix, explained that the airline remained “committed to its operation from Cardiff and will continue to offer low fares to exciting destinations”.

Bmibaby is one of the most popular budget airlines in the UK and provides cheap flights to destinations across Europe. Click here for flight information, prices, and online booking.

Laser danger

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:06:52 BST

The union representing pilots (BALPA) has announced that it is only a matter of time before a crash is caused by people using laser pointers to dazzle pilots as they come into land.

There were literally dozens of incidents last year where co-pilots had to assume control after the pilot was temporarily blinded, and in the last month alone a plane landing at Cardiff and one at Edinburgh were involved in potentially fatal incidents. In addition to the temporary blindness, laser attacks can also cause disorientation and uncontrollable sneezing attacks, all-in-all a lethal combination when trying to land a plane.

South Wales police are investigating the incident at Cardiff airport when a laser was shone on a plane at 4,000 feet. Because of the height of the plane it has been difficult to pinpoint the direction from which the light came but the perpetrator, if caught, could find himself facing a prison sentence.

In America there have been 900 incidents in the last four years and the authorities are considering treating offenders as domestic terrorists. At present, offenders face 20 years in prison and a fine of $25,000. Australia too has its fair share of laser users and even the famous Royal Flying Doctor plane complete with patient on board has fallen victim. Offenders in Australia face 5 years in prison if caught.

The lasers, usually imports from China or Russia and designed for astronomy, can be bought over the internet for as little as £10 and there is no doubt that in the wrong hands can be catastrophic.

Cardiff airport might have suffered eight crashes

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 10:35:32 BST

It’s not an easy job but someone’s got to do it and staff in the air traffic control deck below Cardiff’s International Airport are more than aware of just how tough their job can be. Aviation safety is hot on everyone in the world’s minds at the moment so it comes as quite a stir to hear that reports have come into the public domain in the last few weeks of up to eight near crashes over the skies of the Welsh capital.

The Freedom of Information Act has come into play once again and this time it has led to some rather shocking facts being revealed to the Civil Aviation Authority. There have been reports of very near crashes above the airport when taking off and landing. There have been incidents involving drunken passengers, some of whom have had to be removed from flights. There have also been incidents with bomb scares and hoax terror attacks. An incident in which an Air Traffic Controller was distracted and almost led to two planes colliding mid flight has raised serious questions about the safety of the airport. There was even a case in 2006 of an alleged UFO in the skies, as none of the technical staff on the ground could identify the object.

The Director of Operations at the airport defends Cardiff as having “one of the best safety records in the UK”. However, he is also quick to point out that there will be thorough investigations into the incidents as they strive to be as safe as they can.

More bad press for Cardiff

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:45:09 BST

After the recent embarrassment of having sent three passengers to Turkey instead of Lanzarote following a check-in blunder by Servisair, there is yet more bad press for Cardiff airport.

In this day and age of heightened security and technological advances, it may seem extraordinary that a passenger can travel on the wrong passport. However, that is exactly what happened to a woman flying out to the Canaries on holiday last month.

Andrea Cole, aged 43, was flying out with her mother for a break at her holiday home in Fuerteventura and erroneously picked up her husband’s passport. She succeeded in clearing two lots of check points at Cardiff and another when she reached her destination without being challenged once. The immigration officer at Fuerteventura took the passport from Mrs Cole, looked at the photo and at her, and waved her through.

According to a spokesperson from Cardiff airport, Servisair - the handling agent for Thomas Cook - would have had responsibility for checking the passports both on check-in and prior to getting on to the plane. An investigation is now under way and both Thomas Cook and Servisair have apologised for the apparent breach in security, assuring the public that security is a top priority.

Meanwhile, a holiday maker leaving her hotel in Turkey was given the wrong passport by hotel staff but nevertheless managed to leave Turkey and enter the UK at Manchester airport without the error being noticed. Both the airline and the UK Border Agency have expressed concerns that this could happen and an investigation is under way.

Check your boarding pass carefully!

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:00:32 BST

We have all heard of luggage ending up at the wrong holiday destination but now it seems that passengers can suffer the same fate too! A family from Cardiff has found out the hard way that not only does it help to have paid attention in Geography class but also that you should take nothing at face value and check your boarding pass carefully before stepping on the plane.

Charles Corray had checked in at Cardiff airport with his wife Tania and daughter Phoebe, looking forward to his 5 star all inclusive holiday in Lanzarote. Somehow the check in clerk issued the wrong boarding pass to the family and they had not realised that Bodrum, the destination shown on the card, was in fact in Turkey. As the family had had to get up in the small hours of the morning to catch their flight, they all decided to catch up on their beauty sleep as soon as they boarded. It was not until the plane landed that the air hostess said “Welcome to Turkey!” and the penny dropped. To add insult to injury, the family had to pay £10 a head in visa charges to enter Turkey.

They were able to board the same plane later in the day, for its homeward flight back to Cardiff, where they were put up in a hotel at First Choice’s expense. Although they could have been taken to Luton in a taxi to fly out to Lanzarote for the holiday that they had planned, it would have meant returning to Luton as well on the homeward leg, which did not suit the family, who had paid extra for the convenience of flying from their local airport. They eventually agreed to accept a similar holiday in Ibiza, leaving Cardiff the following day.

Meanwhile First Choice has apologized for the mix-up and confirmed that the Servisair employee has been suspended, pending an enquiry.