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Cardiff Airport has 'long-haul flights potential' | Cardiff Airport has 'long-haul flights potential' |
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Plans to attract long haul services from Cardiff Airport have been submitted to a commission looking at air capacity in the UK. | Plans to attract long haul services from Cardiff Airport have been submitted to a commission looking at air capacity in the UK. |
The Western Gateway proposals include making better use of the spare capacity at Cardiff to reduce congestion at airports in the south east of England. | The Western Gateway proposals include making better use of the spare capacity at Cardiff to reduce congestion at airports in the south east of England. |
It calls for air passenger duty to be reduced for flights from Wales. | |
The Welsh government-owned airport has seen passengers numbers fall to just below one million to March 2013. | |
Passenger numbers had hit a peak of two million in 2007. | |
The airport has also faced competition from its more successful neighbour, Bristol Airport. | |
The latest proposals put forward by a group of academics and business people come as a one-day conference is held in the city. | |
The group says that regional airports have a role to play in reducing the pressure on Heathrow and the other more congested airports - with Cardiff offering more than neighbouring Bristol. | |
Lowering levels of air passenger duty at underused regional airports, such as Cardiff, is the way to do this, says Western Gateway. | |
It estimates Cardiff Airport existing facilities could handle three million passengers a year. | |
The group's report says it expects the airport's connections to improve in time with the high speed rail projects bringing more of the UK within a two-hour travel time, including central London. | |
It said: "By concentrating on the long-haul market Cardiff Airport would have advantages compared to Bristol Airport, a longer runway and 24-hour operation. | |
'Crucial role' | |
"By concentrating on markets not served from Bristol Airport, Cardiff would have access to a 4.5m (people) catchment within a 90-minute travel time." | |
The proposals have been put to the Davies Commission, set up to look what future air capacity is needed in the UK. | |
At the conference on Monday First Minister Carwyn Jones is expected to say the airport "plays a crucial role" in Wales' economy. | |
The airport, which was bought from its previous Spanish owners for £52m in March, is already undergoing a £500,000 facelift to promote Welsh culture and heritage. | |
But the latest passenger figures released in April showed that it saw a 15% slump for the year to March - dipping to just below one million. |