Red Sea Holidays is a great option for families too as at the all-inclusive hotels owned by sister-company, Red Sea Hotels, there’s a standard price of just £399 per child (two-to-12-years) on seven and 14-night holidays. In addition, where parents book a hotel on B&B or half-board basis, children get an automatic upgrade to all-inclusive.

The lead-in price for a week’s all-inclusive in December, for example, at the four-star Sharm Resort is £419 per person (twin share).

Prices are inclusive of return flights from Cardiff. On all flights a generous baggage allowance, in-flight meals and return resort transfers are all included in the package price along with guaranteed late check-out rooms in all Red Sea hotels.

Said sales director, Jason Hilton: “We are pleased to be offering our first departures from Cardiff with Thomson Airways; giving our customers the option to fly from their local regional airport is a key factor in our strategy of becoming the market leader to the Red Sea”

Spencer Birns. Cardiff Airport’s head of air service development added: “We welcome Red Sea Holidays’ decision to offer packages from Cardiff Airport as this will give travellers in our catchment area even more choice of holidays to this region over the winter as well as the summer season.

We look forward to working with Red Sea Holidays’ on their new operations from Cardiff.”

Red Sea Holidays has an online version of its brochure allowing
customers to browse online and download specific pages or the whole brochure.

Mr Vaughan said: “Wales needs a first-class transport infrastructure if our economy is to prosper and compete in the global marketplace.

“It is vitally important that we have the necessary capacity to support growth in direct flights to other countries, especially those who are fast becoming major players in world business and commerce. Having a successful international airport is key to having a successful Welsh economy.

“Central to attracting investment into Wales in the future will be the development of relationships that bring new, more sustainable carriers and routes to Cardiff that link Wales to the rest of Europe and beyond.”

Mr Vaughan said that politicians at domestic and international levels all had a role to play in support growth at the Spanish-owned airport.

He added: “Having a strong and competitive airport in Wales is good for Welsh business, good for tourism and good for Welsh passengers travelling abroad on holiday. It is crucial that visitors have easy, convenient access to the great benefits that our country has to offer and can get here directly and efficiently from their starting points.

“First impressions count and that is why the airport and the different companies that contribute to its operations need help and support at such a difficult economic time.”

The airport’s business and development director Steve Hodgetts will address a meeting of Cardiff Breakfast Club on September 9. Mr Hodgetts, who was appointed director in 2008, will address the club at St David’s Hotel and Spa.

Company History

Airparks was founded in October 1991, first acquiring a secured car park near Birmingham Airport, and renamed it Airparks. In December 2007 plans were made to re-brand Q-Park sites to Airparks at Gatwick, Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow although this never actually happened.

Security

The car parks owned by Airparks have been awarded with the Park Mark award for safer parking, a national security award.

Users can visit the Stairwell Smells website to vote on their preferred scent for London, Birmingham, Cardiff, or Leeds. Available scents include roses, freshly baked bread or roast chicken, according to the NCP website.

Should the Stairwell Smells program prove successful, NCP plans to roll it out throughout the UK and make stinky stairwells a thing of the past.

Company History

NCP’s beginnings were quite humble, and it wasn’t until it’s acquisition by Central Car Parks in 1959 that the success story really began to take shape. Central Car Parks had been founded in 1949 by Ronald Hobson, who was soon joined by Donald Gosling (later to become Sir Donald Gosling).

As entrepreneurs they had identified a huge market in the London area buying up city centre sites and converting them into car parks. Adopting the name National Car Parks heralded a period of expansion, which saw the business continue to grow throughout the following years as NCP acquired a series of car parks and petrol stations and began to manage car parking contracts for third parties.

A period of uninterrupted success meant that by the 1990’s NCP was one of the countries most successful privately owned organisations. It was this success that prompted the sale in 1998 to US firm Cendant and a re-focus of the company’s operations, changing from a property owning company into a more service-focused organisation in the broader transport sector.

In 1999 the company launched the UK’s first private-public partnership – setting up a joint venture with Manchester City Council to establish NCP Manchester Ltd (NML).

NCP also began to develop business contracts in the provision of enforcement services for local authorities, vehicle removals and debt recovery, where by 2005 it had become market leader in its field.

Subsequent sales in 2002 to Cinven and in 2005 to private equity house 3i are testimony to the company’s continuing success and attractiveness to the market place.

In order to maximise the growth potential of both sides of the business, in 2007 the original parking arm of the company National Car Parks Limited was separated from the newer service-based side of the business (NCP Services Ltd) creating two distinct and diverse companies.

National Car Parks Limited (the original parking operator) was acquired at this point by Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund II and continues to be the market leader in its sector, increasing its turnover and national distribution significantly over the past 6 months. With a clear strategy for growth and a dynamic management team, NCP is ideally placed to capitalise on its experience and knowledge within the parking sector.

Current Operations

NCP was sold to 3i in July 2005 for £555million, with 3i saying it would continue to grow NCP as a service-oriented and public-outsourcing company. In order to maximise the growth potential of both sides of the business, in 2007 the original parking arm of the company National Car Parks Limited was separated from the newer service-based side of the business (NCP Services Ltd) creating two distinct and diverse companies.

National Car Parks Limited (the original parking operator) was acquired in 2007 by Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund II.

More information about the examinership and future updates can be found here: Aer Arann.

What Do I Do In The Meantime?

Current passengers and customers need not worry, the company will continue to trade as normal with no flight cancellations.

This service is provided by BT Openzone.

Wi-Fi Charges

90 Minutes Voucher = £5.99
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5 Day Voucher = £26.99
30 Day Voucher = £39.99

You can purchase vouchers online Here.

Joe Lavers, Holidays 4U Sales and Marketing Director commented: “As part of our expansion plans we believe that there is a market in Wales for good value holidays to Turkey with a tour operator that has specialised in the country for the last 17 years.

“We offer all the large resorts as well as smaller, less commercial areas and will be expanding upon our core product of value for money 3 star properties with more 4* and 5* hotels and holiday villages.  We will also continue to offer excellent family deals on self catering holidays with free and discounted child places.

“Turkey is a wonderful holiday destination with glorious beaches, great weather and rich history and culture, and therefore it’s no surprise it’s proving popular with travellers. We have great deals departing from Cardiff including 2* B&B for £252pp, 4* All Inclusive for £338pp, and self catering for a family of four (2 adults, 2 children) for a total of £799, all departing on 07 May 2011.   Prices include flights, accommodation, transfers and 15 kgs per person luggage allowance.”

Spencer Birns, Cardiff Airport’s head of air service development added: “We’re glad to see Holidays 4U stepping in and reacting to the demand for non-Euro holidays.

The competition between the various operators on the routes means the prices will remain attractive for customers eager to visit the region this summer flying from their local airport.”

Originally from Middlesbrough, Ms Quinn joined Teesside Airport in 1999 as Head of HR before pursuing a route through airport operations over the next 10 years at the same airport, renamed Durham Tees Valley. Her roles included Landside Operations Manager, Head of Airport Services and later Director of Operations.

In her new role, Ms Quinn is responsible for managing all aspects of the Cardiff airport’s operations, ensuring regulatory compliance for safety and security, further developing infrastructure and service capability, and contributing to the airport’s strategic development. She is a member of the airport board and reports directly to Cardiff airport Managing Director, Patrick Duffy.

Speaking on her appointment Ms Quinn said: ‘I am looking forward to the new and exciting challenge at Cardiff Airport and relish this new opportunity. I understand how vitally important the airport is to Wales and I’m committed to further developing the airport’s reputation and efficiency through its operations and customer experience.’

Cardiff airport Managing Director Patrick Duffy said: ‘We welcome Kerry to the Cardiff Airport team. Her addition to the team strengthens our knowledge, experience and leadership.’

The winner of the new contract will take over the service between Anglesey and Cardiff airport in January 2011, with the assembly government also examining whether it can increase the number of flights.

Deputy First Minister, Ieuan Wyn Jones said: ‘This tender process is the start of the search for an airline to provide this incredibly popular service on a long-term basis for the next four years. To date over 40,000 passengers have used the service and it forms a key part of our National Transport Plan, helping to reduce journey times and improve business links between north and south.’

The assembly government will be exploring whether there is scope to enhance the current service by adding an additional mid-day return journey on Mondays and Fridays only, when demand is at its highest.

Flybe signed a deal today to buy up to 140 planes to allow it to expand in to Europe, with destinations such as Dusseldorf, Lyon and Frankfurt targeted as it looks to focus on the business market.

Steve Hodgetts, Cardiff airport’s business development director, said: ‘In light of the recent announcement by Flybe we are keen to examine the possibility of expanding the operation from Cardiff airport to offer more routes and frequency to Welsh travellers. There is great demand for services to important business and popular leisure destinations in Europe including Germany and France, and Flybe would be ideal partners to work with. We would welcome any discussions with Flybe about how expanding the airline’s operation could benefit Cardiff airport and Wales as a whole.’

The connections also potentially attract inbound tourism to Wales and put the Welsh capital on the global tourism map as the flights will be available to book in overseas destinations as far away as New Zealand and Australia.

Spencer Birns, Cardiff airport’s head of air development, said: ‘We’re glad to be able to offer our passengers the chance to experience this award-winning airline through simple connections from their local airport. As a regional airport we’re not always going to be able to offer direct services to long haul destinations; however we stress that flying from your local airport and connecting onto flights in airports such as Paris, Dublin or Amsterdam to worldwide locations is often a much easier, more convenient, time-saving and can be a cheaper way of travelling.’

The contact centre would be the first point of call for relatives, travellers and the media. C1V would also step in as the airport’s emergency contact centre in the event of major disruption to air travel, such as the recent ash cloud crisis.

The airport’s management has refused to release a copy of a 20-year master plan. Using specialist lawyers, FoE is challenging Cardiff airport’s claim that because it is owned by a private company, it is not covered by the Freedom of Information Act.

If the airport was publicly owned, it would have to comply with the Act. Doubt exists because of the privatisation of the airport in 1995, when it was sold by the three county councils that owned it to the property company TBI.

The summer 2006 schedule, beginning in May, will operate low-cost scheduled flights from five UK airports to eight Canadian destinations, with the introduction of a weekly flight from both Belfast and Cardiff Airport to Vancouver. The new Vancouver service will depart on a Saturday from Cardiff to Vancouver via Belfast.

Debbie Marshall, UK Director of Zoom Airlines, said: ‘Vancouver is a vibrant city and has proved to be one of the most popular summer routes this year. We are delighted to be adding this destination to our Cardiff and Belfast service offerings completing our summer 2006 programme. We will continue to offer the lowest scheduled fares across the Atlantic, adding Canada to the list of affordable summer destination for all holiday makers in the UK.’

Flights from Belfast, Cardiff and Manchester were introduced this year and have proved to be extremely popular. Zoom increased the frequency of flights and the number of destinations served from each regional airport throughout the summer and additional routes have been added for 2006 to cater for the high level of regional demand.

The Gatwick service will operate flights to all eight Canadian destinations that Zoom flies to and flights from Glasgow will serve five of the most popular routes. The Cardiff and Belfast services will operate scheduled flights to Vancouver and Toronto and flights from Manchester will include Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary.

The runway was closed for a short time on Saturday afternoon while a Robin 118 two-seater plane was recovered. An airport spokesman said neither of the two people aboard the plane were hurt in the incident.

Emergency services were alerted as a matter of routine but they were later stood down.

In a move aimed at independent travellers who book their accommodation and flights seperately, the low cost airline announced that it will fly from Cardiff to Malaga and Palma five times a week, Alicante four times a week and Ibiza three times a week.

Guy Stephenson, Commercial Director of Thomsonfly, said, ‘We know that customers want choice and convenience, and we are convinced that our new low fare flights to these popular destinations from their local airport will be a great success.’

Fares for the flights to Palma, Malaga, Alicante and Ibiza begin at £29.99, one-way, including taxes and charges. Tickets went on sale yesterday. For more information visit the Thomsonfly website.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is consulting over plans for a number of new flight paths across the UK. The routes, one of which would move 12 miles west in the region of the Brecon Beacons National Park, had been suggested by National Air Traffic Services. It says the jet routes would improve air safety and cut congestion.

Sioned Humphries, a spokesman for CPRW, said the organisation was worried about the threat to the tranquillity of the area as well the effect on climate change. She claimed the proposals would increase the number of flights over the park to ‘one every two or three minutes’.

‘That will mean this tranquil, quiet area will no longer be as tranquil. We do see Brecon Beacons National Park as the urban lung. (People) are subject to noise throughout the week and it’s only fair that they do get a little bit of tranquillity now and again.’

‘We are very worried about the climatic effect. On the one hand the government is urging us to save and conserve carbon, car sharing, etc., but on the other hand they are promoting our most polluting vehicle, the aeroplane,’ she said.

But Cardiff International Airport managing director John Horne said neither rural protection campaigns had objected when the CAA’s proposals were first put out to consultation. He added that most of the flights from Cardiff and Bristol under any planned changes would go south and west, away from the beacons.

‘I think we have got to keep this in context. What were talking about is a very minimal shift in what’s happening now. An arrival route will change and will move 12 miles west, in the region of the beacons but what were talking about is aircraft above 11,000 feet, in the quiet phase of their flight.’

‘Hacking the development of airspace is attacking the wrong thing because one of the key features of this is (that) removing delays in the air, and congestion, means that aircraft that are flying less are burning less fuel,’ he said.

Oliver Jaycock, a recent graduate from UWIC, will manage the project, and will be based at the airport. It is scheduled to run for two and a half years, with the first results in 2006. The ultimate objective of the project is to increase the number of passengers using the airport and the number of destinations it serves.

Jon Horne, Cardiff International Managing Director, said: ‘This project is a great opportunity to identify and dispel misconceptions about travelling to Wales, and for the airport to develop a much wider catchment area beyond Wales.’

‘Almost 10% of the passengers already using the airport originate outside Wales, and there is evidence to support the fact that, while this number is growing, there is immense scope for reducing the number of West of England passengers still making the trek to Heathrow and South East airports.’

‘We are not suggesting that people living in Bristol should, or would choose Cardiff over Bristol Airport for the same destination. However, Cardiff now has a growing range of services, including long haul flights, which are unique in the southwest of the UK.’

‘This is about the future. Planned improvements to the airport’s road access and the recently opened rail link will make us easier to reach and more attractive to a new audience. Already we are working to establish direct rail services from a range of places such as Bath, Bristol, Gloucester and Swindon.’

‘Having the data from this research project will inform the messages we need to convey to that new audience about the opportunities presented by Cardiff International Airport, it will also be vital in our work to attract new routes and airlines.’

Backing for the project comes from both the Department for Trade and Industry and the Assembly Government.

Cardiff Crown Court heard Aranmolate claimed her husband knew nothing about the drugs. But the prosecution say it was a joint enterprise. Odunlami said, ‘My wife made all the travel arrangements and she bought new bags. I had no reason to think she was smuggling cocaine.’

Prosecutor Dominic Connolly said, ‘They were stopped by Customs officers after travelling from Nigeria via Amsterdam. Six packets of cocaine were found hidden in secret compartments in their hand luggage.’

‘Odunlami claimed he knew nothing about the drugs and that they had flown to Cardiff to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. Neither of them had ever visited Wales before, they were not visiting any family and had not booked any accommodation.’

Aranmolate admits smuggling cocaine. Odunlami denies it. The trial continues.

The new website allows anyone wanting a flight from Cardiff to check out all available flights in one place, instead of having to visit the online homes of the different airlines. And with the ability to book hotels too, the websites creators hope to establish cwlfly.com as a distinct player in the tourist industry, eliminating the need to use other services and enhancing the airport’s status with Welsh consumers.

Cardiff airport Managing Director, Jon Horne, said, ‘The airport’s strategy centres on a more active role in the travel booking process and is supported by a new look for airport signage, vehicles and advertising, plus a new airline-style internet booking service.’

‘We want the ability to effectively promote and bring services to the passenger’s attention, reflecting recent research that shows that ease of booking is a top priority in travellers’ decision- making criteria. This means rethinking the entire approach to marketing by airports, which are usually passive in the travel process.’

Around 1.9m passengers use the airport annually. It now has flights to 19 destinations, nine of which are international. The airport hopes to have up to eight million passengers by the 2015-30 period. A ‘vital’ part of that plan is to have intercity trains stopping at the airport.

Mr Horne said, ‘We’ve been working with operators and the Assembly Government – which shares our goal … we would like to see Paddington trains coming to the airport.’ This, he believes, would allow the airport to be marketed to people in towns such as Swindon.

The plane was taxiing to the runway when the captain came on the intercom to tell the passengers that the trip could not go ahead until the stowaways had been found. Airport health officials were called in to help with the operation to trap the transatlantic interlopers. The 08:30 flight eventually took off without incident once the frogs were captured by airline staff.

It is thought the frogs had jumped into the aircraft’s luggage bay while suitcases were being loaded in Cuba (the aircraft’s previous destination) for the flight to Britain. A spokeswoman for the airport said the frogs were being kept safe while experts tried to identify them.

A Monarch Airlines spokesman said: ‘Two frogs were found in the hold of the aircraft, which had previously operated from Cuba to Manchester. Following the assessment customs officials removed the frogs from the hold and the flight was cleared for departure.’

The biggest drugs hauls involved 5,100 grammes of cocaine, picked up as drug mules were stopped at the airport. Customs officers also made 18 seizures of amphetamines, hashish and marijuana.

Figures released by HM Revenue & Customs under the Freedom of Information Act also show that more than 1.6 million cigarettes with a value of £209,000 were confiscated. There were 324 tobacco seizures, with customs officials putting a street value of £2.50 on a packet of 20 cigarettes.

A spokesman for HM Revenue & Customs said: ‘Most smugglers still tend to use the major UK airports like Heathrow and Gatwick which have direct links from places like Colombia in South America and the Caribbean. But drug gangs do vary their methods and routes and use smaller UK regional airports like Cardiff.’

‘We are well aware of the opportunities for smugglers to perhaps fly into Paris and then take a flight into Cardiff. That is why we cover Cardiff both with front-line uniformed officers and intelligence officers who look to identify smugglers,’ the spokesman added.

All figures are for the year 2002-03. Figures on seizures at Cardiff airport during the last financial year will be released in the autumn.

Just before the Boeing 767-200 touched down at Las Palmas Airport, one of the passengers got out of his seat and began shouting abuse at the cabin crew. He then attacked a stewardess and one of her male colleagues before being restrained by other airline staff.

When the plane landed at Las Palmas, the man – who Thomsonfly said had not been drinking during the flight – was arrested by Spanish police. He was later released, but it is not yet known whether he will face charges or has returned to Wales.

‘One minute everything was normal and we were preparing to land, the next this man started yelling and shouting at the crew. It was terrifying for a few moments – he looked out of control and I don’t want to think about what might have happened if he hadn’t been restrained,’ a passenger said.

The incident happened on the 22:20 flight from Cardiff on Monday on a plane carrying 290 passengers.

A spokeswoman for Thomsonfly said: ‘During the flight, one of our passengers became abusive and violent to two of our cabin crew minutes before the aircraft landed. The safety of our passengers, cabin and flight crew are our primary concern in this situation, and there were no major injuries to either cabin crew member.’

Two men were on board the twin-seated Cessna 150 light aircraft, but neither was seriously injured. Emergency crews were called to the scene shortly after 12:30 BST. The road was closed as a precaution as fuel had leaked from the £30,000 plane, which had a damaged propeller and front wheel.

‘A major tragedy has been averted. He was flying over a very heavily-populated area when the engine failed but he managed to put the plane down in the safest possible place,’ said Simon Robinson, operations manager for the Cardiff Academy flying school.

‘It was remarkable piece of skill, taking ability and bravery. The instructor trains for these sort of emergencies but actually doing it takes a lot of courage,’ he added.

Mr Robinson said the pilot was forced to glide to the ground after the engine cut out. ‘He tried to put it down in a neighbouring field but ended up on the road. It is amazing that no-one was hurt.’

Nearest neighbour building contractor Phillip Lacey, said: ‘I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was quite a sight to see a plane sitting on the road just 100 yards from your house.’

A spokesman for the South and East Wales Ambulance Service said both the pilot and his passenger walked away from the scene, and did not require medical treatment.

It is understood that the plane had taken off from Cardiff airport earlier in the day. The aircraft was recovered from the scene by 16:00 BST. An investigation into the cause of the crash is being carried out.

In 2005 Cardiff airport will handle around one million charter passengers, with Palma in Majorca the most popular destination. And airport spokesman Vincent Rey said Cardiff was seeing no sign of the downturn in charter passengers seen nationally, as the budget airlines and travel diversification takes its’ toll.

‘In terms of charter passengers, our overall numbers are fairly stable, and with the addition of a few more routes next year they may even rise. So far, low-cost airlines have not had any meaningful effect, and there’s no real declining trend. People are still going on holiday, certainly from Cardiff anyway,’ Rey said.

In an effort to combat the litter problem Cardiff airport, has purchased a new weapon – a ‘Ransomes Pathfinder’ compact sweeper. This mini sweeper has a cab to keep the driver dry, and has a hopper with enough capacity for a full days cleaning.

A spokesman for the airport said, ‘Since privatisation in 1995 total passenger numbers have almost doubled and scheduled passengers have increased by over 400%. This has put added pressure on our efforts to keep the airport free of litter, leaves and other discarded debris.’

‘Our new cleaning machine had to have the power to climb kerbs, be highly manoeuvrable and be able pick up litter in any weather conditions. The Pathfinder fitted the bill perfectly as it is excellent in the wet, the cab provides a comfortable working environment for the operator and the large hopper provides enough capacity for a productive day’s work.’

‘We even specified a longer wander hose so that we could reach into the shrubs and planted areas,’ he added.

John Wake, director of Cardiff Tourism, called for Cardiff airport to be named after a famous Welshman last week. He said: ‘Wales should rename Cardiff airport after one of its famous sons or daughters. Now barmy bets are being laid on names including First Minister Rhodri Morgan and Diana, Princess of Wales.

Wales’ largest bookmakers, Jack Brown, is taking wagers on likely names, should the airport follow the success of Liverpool Airport, which renamed itself after John Lennon. They are offering 16-1 odds on the airport being named after Tom Jones or Shirley Bassey, the National Assembly First Minister is 33-1 and Charlotte Church is the outsider at 50-1.

Favourites include the St Davids International Airport at 2-1, the New Millennium Airport of Wales at 7-2 and Diana International: The Princess of Wales Airport at 8-1.

Mr Wake has just come back from Washington where he landed at Reagan or Dulles airports. He flew to New York’s JFK Airport. Here in the UK we have John Lennon Airport in Liverpool and Robin Hood Airport in Doncaster. Mr Wake believes it would be enormously beneficial to the Welsh economy and would provide Wales with a brand to attract visitors.

Mr Wake has said ‘The most surprising one to me is Doncaster’s Robin Hood Airport. That to me is a dynamic name, it’s amazing – cheek in the extreme. Surely we could do something like that in Wales but it has to be someone known worldwide, it can’t be parochial.’

‘I would like to see it named King Arthur Airport because that is a name that is known around the world, although that might not work. It is difficult to think of a name that is known and respected around the world. Perhaps Richard Burton would work, but it has to be worth doing and a name of quality,’ he added.

Doncaster’s Robin Hood Airport, Britain’s newest airport, opened this year at a cost of £80m. The airport is already becoming well known because it is named after such a famous character, who spent much of his life in and around not just Sherwood Forest and Nottingham but Doncaster too.

Mr Wake added: ‘Is there someone that has a powerful enough name to justify renaming Cardiff airport to make Wales more identifiable? You certainly know when you fly to the States the people associated with the airports, and it livens it up a lot. You fly to John F Kennedy in New York and there is a certain draw there. What I am saying is we should do it if there is someone who is known worldwide, and would actually be a benefit and asset to renaming Cardiff International Airport.’

Vincent Rey, sales and marketing manager at Cardiff Airport said: ‘It has been a trend in recent times in the UK, with Liverpool and Doncaster taking the lead, to rename airports after famous people .It is something we have considered and we have mused over it, debating whether it would be beneficial in promoting the airport and Wales.’

Mr Rey said that that the airport has had discussions at management level on a name change, but hadn’t found any concrete argument in favour of changing the name or not. He did not rule out changing the airport’s name in the future.

Full details are to be announced later today, but the Excel Airways website is already set up to take bookings for its 2006 Wales-based operation. Holiday makers can choose destinations from Faro in Portugal to Corfu in Greece. Flights will also be available to Dalaman in Turkey and the Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheikh. The airline is also flying to seven destinations in Spain, including southern Tenerife, on its fleet of 189-seater Boeing 737 800′s.

A spokesman for Cardiff airport said the move will allow it to strengthen its appeal to holidaymakers across Wales and the south west of England. Managing director Jon Horne said Excel aimed to bring around 100,000 new passengers to the airport. The weekly flights could push annual passenger numbers at the south Wales airport above two million.

Both Llantwit Major and Rhoose stations were built for the Vale of Glamorgan train service, from Bridgend to Cardiff via Barry, which started on June 12. Results of a survey of rail users last month show 136 passengers in one day alighting from westbound services at Rhoose, and 350 at Llantwit Major.

Clive Williams, director of the Welsh rail watchdog, said: ‘The figures are very encouraging, considering it usually takes some 18 months for new rail services to get into the public’s consciousness. The report also revealed between 11am to 3pm, half or more of the 78 car park spaces at Llantwit Major were occupied, but never more than 10 cars at Rhoose.

A plane carrying about 50 passengers made an emergency landing at Cardiff airport today. It was on its way from Ireland to the UK, when an emergency light came on. It was diverted to Cardiff and emergency services were alerted as a precaution. It landed safely and none of the passengers or crew were hurt.

Passengers are currently waiting for another plane to take them to their destination. No further details are available at this point.

Zoom Airlines said it was launching the new weekly service from Cardiff airport to Toronto because of high demand from passengers. The airline said it took 500 bookings the week the flights were announced.

Debbie Marshall, the firm’s UK director, said: ‘We are delighted to be launching the start of the Cardiff airport service which has proven to be extremely popular with the Welsh travelling public. As a holiday destination Canada is renowned for its year-round appeal.’

Zoom is the only airline offering direct flights to Canada from Cardiff airport this summer. They are also planning a service from Cardiff to Vancouver from 2006.

Cardiff International had been fastest-growing airport in the UK as recently as 2003, when one million passengers passed through the airport. But figures for the first 3 months of 2005 show passengers on charter flights falling by 39.4% to 79,300 and low-cost passengers fell 9.9% to 162,000, with an overall drop of 19%.

Cardiff airport’s management has blamed the slump on a shortage of aircraft at no-frills carrier bmibaby. However, Martin Evans, a transport expert at the University of Glamorgan, said competition with fast growing Bristol airport and problems attracting passengers had also played a part.

‘The difficulty in Cardiff is we aren’t attracting the new inbound passengers that we should. All the expansion is depending on us taking more flights to go and visit Europe more often. What we need to do is encourage those inbound passengers as well. We want to encourage those visitors that will bring spending into Wales,’ he said.

Bristol airport almost tripled the number of scheduled routes to 45 over the last 3 years and estimates 5 million passengers will fly from the airport in 2005. This competition is clearly hurting Cardiff airport.

Figures for Belfast and Luton airports – also owned by TBI – show total passenger increases of 18.6% and 24.8% respectively.

Thomsonfly said that it will offer flights from Cardiff airport to Mexican resort Cancun and to the Dominican Republic, Tunisia, Bulgaria and Crete. It will also increase its flights to Orlando from two to three flights a week, to increase the frequency of its flights to Malaga and Alicante, Palma and Tenerife, and to base more of its aircraft at the airport.

Cardiff International Airport managing director Jon Horne said that the routes had been secured ‘against stiff competition from other UK regional airports’. Niether of the two new long-haul routes is currently offered at Bristol Airport – Cardiff airport’s main rival.

A new rail link to Cardiff airport is due to open on June 12, but those critical of the scheme say that there are a number of reasons why tourists and businessmen will be put off using the much-delayed scheme, which cost £17m of taxpayers’ money.

The Western Mail newspaper lists the top 4. There is inadequate information, confusion over the airport station’s name (Rhoose train station, rather than Cardiff Airport train Station), the airport station resembles a bus stop, and the door-to-door every-half-hour bus service already linking the airport to Cardiff is, on paper, quicker and more frequent!

Even Cardiff airport’s managing director, Jon Horne, was dismissive of the new link. ‘The initial service will have a limited impact, because of the frequency of train services,’ he said.

The aircraft – which is used to train pilots – blocked the runway for about 20 minutes from 14:30 GMT yesterday, before it was successfully moved and flights were able to continue.

An airport spokesperson said no one was injured in the incident and one flight to Belfast was delayed by 20 minutes.

Three people, a man aged 61, a woman aged 49 and a 17-year-old girl, landed at Cardiff airport on Thursday morning on a KLM flight from Amsterdam, having originally travelled from Lagos, Nigeria. When customs officers search their luggage, they discovered five kilogrammes of cocaine, with a street value of more than £300,000.

All 3 were remanded in custody overnight and are due to appear before Barry magistrates today.

An investigation by Spanish air authorities concluded that the crash landing of a Britannia Boeing 757 jet flying from Cardiff, which crashed at Girona airport in September 1999, came about because of ‘flight deck misjudgements, poor weather and runway lighting failure’.

When the aircraft landed at Girona airport it bounced on the runway before careering down a bank and breaking into three pieces, injuring 43 passengers.