Welsh govt pledges £42m to prop up Cardiff airport

Wales’s transport minister, Ken Skates AM, said the grant would support a five-year rescue, restructure, and recovery plan for the country’s main international airport.

Skates said the investment recognised the airport’s role as a vital gateway for businesses, tourists and travellers.

"It is vital for Wales’s economic development that we have strong international connectivity to and from Wales, as well as a welcoming open door for tourism," said Skates.

The Welsh government purchased the airport in 2013 to safeguard the country’s infrastructure, and has been operating it "at an arm’s length on a commercial basis".

Skates said prior to the onset of the Covid crisis, the airport had "witnessed a significant turnaround in fortunes", citing CAA figures showing 50% passenger growth under government ownership in the period to March 2020.

He added the airport would be integrated into South Wales’s new Metro programme, and stressed the new funding would indirectly help sustain more than 5,000 jobs.

The government will provide £42.6 million in grant funding for the airport, and will write off an equal amount in debt.