Wizz Air

Part of 3. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:34 pm on 11 January 2023.

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Photo of Lee Waters Lee Waters Labour 3:34, 11 January 2023

Well, I respect Jane Dodds's position, and, as I acknowledged, there are certainly policy tensions. But we take an overall view as a Government that Wales needs an airport. There are a significant number of people still flying from there who otherwise would be travelling to other airports in the UK. And from a business and economy point of view, having a regional airport remains a strong part of the offer. For example, some of the major events that are happening in the stadium in Cardiff would not be attracted to Cardiff were there not an airport here. Also, a number of the large manufacturing companies in south Wales regularly fly executives in and out of the airport—many on private planes, but, nonetheless, it's an important economic asset for the region. But there are tensions.

In terms of the quantum we spend, as I say, the rescue and recovery package was £42.6 million, and that's largely designed to be repaid. We did write off some of the debt. But put that in contrast to the £1 billion we are spending on the south Wales valley metro, and I think the claims that she makes about the public transport benefit from closing the airport are overstated. But it does remain a dilemma for us all, as we get increasingly closer to the 2050 target, given that aviation has been at growing level and has some of the most damaging emissions, then that is something—. As I say, as a UK, we need to confront the future of air travel. The industry makes increasing claims about increasing efficiencies, about biofuels, and we are of course interested in exploring them and we want Cardiff airport to play its part in that. We also want to maximise the role of Cardiff as a freight hub, and the airport management are doing a great deal to see if they can attract additional revenue streams. So, I think we should stick with them. I think there is support in Wales for maintaining an airport, but it is not straightforward by any means.