• News
  • News Archive
  • RSS and ATOM feeds
• Airport History
• Media Centre
• Charity Policy
• Contacts
• Corporate Affairs
• Advertising
• Recruitment
• Cargo
• Property
• Chartering your own Aircraft
• Masterplan

About Us News Headlines Business News

Cardiff Passengers flock to Turkey

25 April 2005

A growing number of passengers from Wales and the South West are opting for Turkey as their destination of choice from Cardiff International Airport.

Cardiff International has witnessed a 295% increase in Turkey passenger numbers since 2003 alone and is currently looking into the possibility of establishing a summer 2006 programme to Antalya. Passengers can currently fly to Bodrum and Dalaman from Cardiff with tour operators Goldtrail, First Choice, Thomson Holidays and Thomas Cook.

Cardiff International Airport managing director Jon Horne explains, "It is encouraging to see the extremely high growth rate in the number of people visiting Turkey from Cardiff. The number of passengers expected to fly from Cardiff this year is 67,282, approximately three times the number that flew from Cardiff two years ago.

"Part of our ongoing strategy is to encourage existing and new operators to increase their services so that we are able to offer our customers an even greater range of destinations from their local airport."

Karen Fennel-Hastings, the Turkish/Welsh Society's chairwoman, says: "Five years ago I formed the Welsh/ Turkish Society, modeled on the Anglo-Turkish Society in London. The aims of the society are to create strong links between the people of Wales & Turkey.

"Wales has a sizeable Turkish population and one of those people is Hakan Sir, proprietor of the Bosphorous Restaurant in Cardiff Bay, who is sponsoring a lunch for the Turkish Ambassador and guests such as Rhodri Morgan and Jon Horne this Thursday 28 April. After lunch the Ambassador will visit the Welsh Assembly and take part in a debate at the Temple of Peace along with Prof. Nigel Foster of Cardiff University on 'Turkey & the Likelihood of it Joining the EU.' "

The first flights to Turkey started from Cardiff International in 1993 with Inter European Airlines and have since increased in demand and popularity. Cardiff International Airport handles around 1.9 million passengers a year and was voted one of the Top 10 Best Airports in the Telegraph Travel Awards in October 2004.

Recent artices in Business News

• Survey sparks interest from Airlines 22 July 2008
• Airport congratulates Metrix 17 January 2007
• CARDIFF INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AIMS FOR MORE EUROPEAN DESTINATIONS 04 October 2005