Cardiff contemplates stepping up - UK Airports Airport News

Airport news for UK Airports on 27/03/2008.

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The Welsh business community, when faced with travelling overseas, must choose from which English airport to fly, making their regional connection using Cardiff Airport. Wales’ principal air hub, according to newly appointed airport managing director Patrick Duffy, can be upgraded to give Wales its own international connection without simply being a facilitator to transfer to Heathrow, Gatwick or any other British International Airport.

Duffy considers the airport’s expansion vital to Welsh economic growth, making it much easier for passengers to get in and out of the region. No first steps have been made, but a research initiative to test the financial feasibility of the plan has been put into action. The You Would If You Could campaign, www.youwouldifyoucould.com, is a marketing campaign to identify whether or not there would be a demand to meet the supply of a Cardiff Airport with expanded international services.

Duffy said in a recent interview that, ‘Cardiff Airport has an opportunity to enhance its contribution to the economic and social well-being of the nation. There are ways we can look to do that – for example do we define ourselves as a regional airport in the UK, or a national airport in Wales? Can we be better connected with other capital cities in the world? Of course we can. In strict classification terms, we are just one of many regional airports around the UK. But spiritually we need to adopt more of a national outlook.’

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