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  1. CARDIFF AIRPORT: Bristol reported to be fighting on over £205m subsidy as Welsh rival hits a million passengers

    Bristol Airport is reported to be seeking permission from the Court of Appeal to challenge the ruling that…
    #Bristol #UnitedKingdom #UK #GB #England #Headlines #News #Europe #EU #BristolAirport #Britain #CardiffAirport #CourtOfAppeal #Flights #GreatBritain #Tourism #Travel #WelshGovernment
    europesays.com/uk/1009263/

  2. CARDIFF AIRPORT: Bristol reported to be fighting on over £205m subsidy as Welsh rival hits a million passengers

    Bristol Airport is reported to be seeking permission from the Court of Appeal to challenge the ruling that cleared the Welsh Government‘s £205m support for Cardiff Airport.

    The move would be the latest round in a long-running fight over public money — and it comes at the very moment the support appears to be paying off for its Welsh rival.

    It follows a decision last week by the Competition Appeal Tribunal to refuse Bristol permission to take its case to the Court of Appeal, finding that none of its six arguments stood up to scrutiny.

    The tribunal accused the airport of adopting a “kitchen sink” approach — throwing every available argument at the case.

    According to reports, Bristol now intends to apply to the Court of Appeal directly for permission to bring the challenge, rather than through the tribunal.

    The dispute centres on the Welsh Government’s decision, in April 2025, to award Cardiff Airport a grant of £205.2m, earmarked for airline route incentives, a new hangar village and improved passenger facilities.

    The Welsh Government has owned Cardiff Airport since 2013.

    Bristol, which lies 27 miles from Cardiff Airport as the crow flies but more than 60 miles by road, argues its commercial interests are harmed by the public money flowing to its neighbour.

    The renewed challenge comes as Cardiff passed a million passengers in a year, with official figures naming it the UK’s second fastest-growing airport.

    Passenger numbers at the airport jumped 24% in the first three months of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier, and were up 14% across the full financial year.

    Much of that growth has been credited to a new transatlantic route, with Canadian airline WestJet now flying direct between Cardiff and Toronto — the first direct link between Wales and Canada in almost 20 years.

    The airport says it supports thousands of jobs across south Wales and contributes more than £200m a year to the Welsh economy.

    Those are the kinds of figures at the heart of the Welsh Government’s case for backing the airport in the first place.

    When Bristol took the Welsh Government to the tribunal earlier this year, it branded the subsidy unlawful, disproportionate and anti-competitive.

    A central plank of its case was that the Welsh Government had failed to treat Cardiff as an “ailing or insolvent” enterprise, which would have triggered extra legal requirements before support could be given.

    The tribunal rejected that, ruling it was not irrational for the Welsh Government to treat the airport as a going concern — pointing in part to an earlier award, worth up to £33m, made between December 2023 and July 2024.

    It also found that the rules on rescuing or restructuring failing businesses did not apply, because the purpose of the subsidy was a policy objective rather than a bailout.

    The Welsh Government’s win was the fourth time a public authority has successfully defended a subsidy control case under the 2022 Act, with none yet lost.

    Not everyone is convinced the airport is in the clear. Andrew RT Davies, the Welsh Conservative Senedd member for the Vale of Glamorgan and Bridgend, welcomed the million-passenger milestone but warned the airport still needed to attract major carriers such as Qatar Airways to become profitable.

    Whether the long-running saga is finally over now rests with the Court of Appeal, and whether it agrees to hear Bristol’s challenge at all.

    Related stories from Swansea Bay News

    CARDIFF AIRPORT: A million passengers in a year as Welsh airport becomes UK’s second fastest-growing
    How a record year and a new Toronto route fuelled the airport’s fastest growth in years.

    Cardiff Airport: First direct WestJet flight from Toronto touches down
    Wales’ first direct link to Canada in nearly two decades returns.

    Bristol Airport drags Welsh ministers to tribunal over £205m Cardiff Airport bailout
    The legal fight over the airport’s public funding lands in court.

    Cardiff Airport appoints cargo expert in push to become regional freight hub
    The airport’s drive to grow its freight business after its tribunal win.

    #BristolAirport #CardiffAirport #CourtOfAppeal #flights #tourism #travel #WelshGovernment
  3. Flights diverted at Bristol Airport as runway surface damaged

    Several flights were impacted Bristol Airport sign A number of flights were diverted from Bristol Airport over the…
    #Bristol #UnitedKingdom #UK #GB #England #Headlines #News #Europe #EU #bankholiday #BristolAirport #Britain #GreatBritain
    europesays.com/uk/987588/

  4. ‘The way I was treated by Ryanair at Bristol Airport was disgusting’

    Nesta Rees, an disabled woman with painful athritis, said she was made to walk from one end of…
    #Bristol #UnitedKingdom #UK #GB #England #Headlines #News #Europe #EU #BristolAirport #Britain #Cardiff #GreatBritain #Premium #Ryanair #Travel
    europesays.com/uk/982116/

  5. Plans for new Bristol Airport destinations divides ‘life will become unbearable’

    Bristol residents are divided over the airport’s expansion plans (Image: Getty Images) Bristol Live readers are divided over…
    #Bristol #UnitedKingdom #UK #GB #England #Headlines #News #Europe #EU #BristolAirport #Britain #Commentingcontent #employment #GreatBritain #NorthSomersetCouncil #Transport
    europesays.com/uk/972839/

  6. New York, Dubai and Orlando could be among the list of new Bristol Airport destinations

    Five cities have been highlighted in the US and the Middle East Could we have flights directly from…
    #Bristol #UnitedKingdom #UK #GB #England #Headlines #News #Europe #EU #BristolAirport #Britain #GreatBritain #Travel
    europesays.com/uk/970239/

  7. Bristol Airport wants to offer flights to New York, Dubai and Orlando under new plans

    Bristol Airport has submitted its formal planning application for the next stage of its expansion which could see…
    #Bristol #UnitedKingdom #UK #GB #England #Headlines #News #Europe #EU #BristolAirport #Britain #GreatBritain #InTheNews #Travel
    europesays.com/uk/969663/

  8. Aviation weather for Bristol airport (UK) is “METAR EGGD 181120Z AUTO 22012KT 190V250 9999 FEW018 BKN027 BKN031 11/06 Q1011” : See what it means on bigorre.org/aero/meteo/eggd/en #bristolairport #airport #bristol #uk #eggd #brs #metar #aviation #aviationweather #avgeek vl

  9. Aviation weather for Bristol airport (UK) is “METAR EGGD 181120Z AUTO 22012KT 190V250 9999 FEW018 BKN027 BKN031 11/06 Q1011” : See what it means on bigorre.org/aero/meteo/eggd/en #bristolairport #airport #bristol #uk #eggd #brs #metar #aviation #aviationweather #avgeek vl

  10. Aviation weather for Bristol airport (UK) is “METAR EGGD 181120Z AUTO 22012KT 190V250 9999 FEW018 BKN027 BKN031 11/06 Q1011” : See what it means on bigorre.org/aero/meteo/eggd/en #bristolairport #airport #bristol #uk #eggd #brs #metar #aviation #aviationweather #avgeek vl

  11. Aviation weather for Bristol airport (UK) is “METAR EGGD 181120Z AUTO 22012KT 190V250 9999 FEW018 BKN027 BKN031 11/06 Q1011” : See what it means on bigorre.org/aero/meteo/eggd/en #bristolairport #airport #bristol #uk #eggd #brs #metar #aviation #aviationweather #avgeek vl

  12. Aviation weather for Bristol airport (UK) is “METAR EGGD 181120Z AUTO 22012KT 190V250 9999 FEW018 BKN027 BKN031 11/06 Q1011” : See what it means on bigorre.org/aero/meteo/eggd/en #bristolairport #airport #bristol #uk #eggd #brs #metar #aviation #aviationweather #avgeek vl

  13. ‘Panic’ as Ryanair Spain flight forced to divert amid medical emergency

    A jet that left Spain for the UK was forced to land early after a woman became ‘ill’…
    #Spain #ES #Europe #Europa #EU #BristolAirport #LeedsBradford #Ryanair
    europesays.com/spain/23414/

  14. Tourist visits 86 out of 120 destinations from Bristol airport – for as little as £3

    Neil Loft began his bizarre mission a few years ago, and only has 34 left Neil Loft on…
    #Bristol #UnitedKingdom #UK #GB #England #Headlines #News #Europe #EU #BristolAirport #Britain #GreatBritain #Travel
    europesays.com/uk/952225/

  15. EasyJet launches new direct flights to vibrant Spanish destination from Bristol Airport

    The new service will operate twice a week The airline is expanding its routes this summer(Image: Boarding1Now via…
    #Bristol #UnitedKingdom #UK #GB #England #Headlines #News #Europe #EU #BristolAirport #Britain #GreatBritain #SchoolHolidays #Travel
    europesays.com/uk/945255/

  16. How expanding to 15 million passengers will transform Bristol Airport

    Here is what the massive planning application reveals about how the airport would change How Bristol Airport will…
    #Bristol #UnitedKingdom #UK #GB #England #Headlines #News #Europe #EU #BristolAirport #Britain #Environment #GreatBritain #NorthSomersetCouncil #Transport
    europesays.com/uk/938630/

  17. Couple ran Bristol airport car parking business out of landlord’s house without permission racking up over £10K in unpaid rent

    Operators of an unauthorised Bristol Airport car parking service have been causing a ‘nightmare’ for the owner of…
    #Bristol #UnitedKingdom #UK #GB #England #Headlines #News #Europe #EU #BristolAirport #BristolLive #Britain #GreatBritain #NorthSomersetCouncil #Premium
    europesays.com/uk/934759/

  18. Bristol Airport drags Welsh ministers to tribunal over £205m Cardiff Airport bailout

    The two‑day hearing at the Competition Appeal Tribunal will examine whether ministers broke subsidy control rules when they approved a decade‑long financial rescue plan for the publicly owned airport.

    The case — filed last summer — argues the subsidy amounts to a taxpayer‑funded advantage that could lure passengers and airlines away from Bristol Airport, which serves around 10 million travellers a year and draws heavily from South Wales.

    According to the appeal documents, Bristol Airport claims the Welsh Government’s investment equates to £71.50 per Cardiff Airport passenger, accusing ministers of effectively “paying people to go on holiday”.

    The challenge also alleges Cardiff Airport should have been treated as an “ailing or insolvent enterprise”, a legal classification that would have triggered stricter checks before public money could be handed over.

    The Welsh Government has repeatedly defended its decision, saying it will “fight for our ability to invest” in the airport’s long‑term future. Ministers argue the funding will support new hangars, maintenance facilities, cargo capacity and new global routes designed to boost Wales’s economy.

    But the tribunal filing shows the Competition and Markets Authority’s Subsidy Advice Unit had already raised concerns, recommending more evidence on the subsidy’s proportionality, its impact on competition, and whether the airport could realistically deliver the promised economic benefits.

    Welsh Conservatives: “A bottomless pit of taxpayers’ money”

    The legal battle has reignited fierce political criticism, with the Welsh Conservatives accusing Labour ministers of pouring public money into a failing airport.

    Shadow Transport Secretary Sam Rowlands MS said the case exposed “reckless spending” by the Welsh Government.

    “Labour and Plaid Cymru have already sunk more than £200 million of taxpayers’ money into this failing nationalised airport — that’s around £286 per household across Wales,” he said.

    “Now, even more public money will be wasted on legal costs to defend this subsidy. People across Wales are rightly asking what they are getting in return.”

    Rowlands said the airport should be sold to the private sector “so it can survive, succeed and stop draining taxpayers’ money”.

    Andrew RT Davies: “You can throw all the money you like at it…”

    Former Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies MS said ministers must explain what the £205 million handout has actually delivered.

    “We all want to see a thriving airport, as it would bring huge benefits to the economy of South Wales,” he said. “But competent leadership is a necessary ingredient to achieving that.”

    Davies warned that “a bottomless pit of money” would not fix the airport without strategic direction, pointing to the fact that Qatar Airways — once a flagship long‑haul partner — has still not resumed flights to Cardiff.

    “Since they bought Cardiff Airport, Senedd ministers have spent over £400 million of taxpayers’ money on it,” he said. “Given this level of investment, the airport should be in a far better position than it is.”

    What happens next?

    A panel of three, chaired by barrister Ben Tidswell, will hear Bristol Airport’s appeal against the subsidy and the response of Welsh ministers.

    Bristol Airport is asking the tribunal to quash the subsidy, declare it unlawful, and — if necessary — order the Welsh Government to recover any money already handed over.

    The Welsh Government said it would present its case “through the proper legal process” and declined to comment further.

    The outcome could have major implications not only for Cardiff Airport’s future, but for how devolved governments across the UK support strategic infrastructure.

    Related stories from Swansea Bay News

    WestJet to launch direct Cardiff–Toronto flights
    Canadian airline announces new long‑haul link from Cardiff Airport.

    Ex‑brewery boss takes over at Cardiff Airport
    New chief executive appointed amid funding rows and route uncertainty.

    Cardiff Airport celebrates summer growth
    Passenger numbers rise, but recovery remains only halfway to pre‑Covid levels.

    Bristol Airport demands detail on subsidy
    Legal teams push Welsh Government for clarity over multi‑million‑pound support package.

    TUI announces new routes from Cardiff Airport
    Holiday giant expands its programme with new destinations and extra flights.

    #AndrewRTDaviesMS #BristolAirport #CardiffAirport #CardiffAirportSubsidy #CompetitionAndMarketsAuthority #CompetitionAppealTribunal #legalAction #SamRowlandsMS #SubsidyAdviceUnit #WelshGovernment
  19. Aviation weather for Bristol airport (UK) is “EGGD 270950Z COR 18014G24KT 9999 4500SE VCSH SCT016TCU SCT036 09/07 Q0978” : See what it means on bigorre.org/aero/meteo/eggd/en #bristolairport #airport #bristol #uk #eggd #brs #metar #aviation #aviationweather #avgeek vl

  20. Aviation weather for Bristol airport (UK) is “EGGD 270950Z COR 18014G24KT 9999 4500SE VCSH SCT016TCU SCT036 09/07 Q0978” : See what it means on bigorre.org/aero/meteo/eggd/en #bristolairport #airport #bristol #uk #eggd #brs #metar #aviation #aviationweather #avgeek vl

  21. Aviation weather for Bristol airport (UK) is “EGGD 270950Z COR 18014G24KT 9999 4500SE VCSH SCT016TCU SCT036 09/07 Q0978” : See what it means on bigorre.org/aero/meteo/eggd/en #bristolairport #airport #bristol #uk #eggd #brs #metar #aviation #aviationweather #avgeek vl

  22. Aviation weather for Bristol airport (UK) is “EGGD 270950Z COR 18014G24KT 9999 4500SE VCSH SCT016TCU SCT036 09/07 Q0978” : See what it means on bigorre.org/aero/meteo/eggd/en #bristolairport #airport #bristol #uk #eggd #brs #metar #aviation #aviationweather #avgeek vl