On the 12th of March everyone is invited to Cambrian Flying Club’s latest evening lecture.
The lecture will be an informative evening on the use of Morse code. Following a short introduction, individuals will be able to take part in a practice session. The evening will be interesting and informative, with plenty of tea and chances to ask questions.
Navigational aids such as VORs and NDBs send out their identifying letters via Morse code, so learning some Morse code can be useful! See below for details on how to attend.
Date: 12th March Time: 19:00 start Venue: Cambrian Flying Club, Swansea Airport Price: £3 on the door
After receiving such a positive response to the last evening lecture, we ask that if you want to attend, let us know by either calling – 01792 205688 or emailing info@cambrianflyingclub.co.uk
Chairman of Cardiff Airport Lord Rowe-Beddoe said the airport is still hopeful of landing a direct route into a hub airport in the Middle East, as well as a scheduled service to the US.
On the Flybe announcement Lord Rowe-Beddoe, a former chairman of the Wales Millennium Centre and the WDA said:”This is quite an expansion and is something that the Welsh public wants… which is greater choice and frequency from an airline which is recognised for offering such good value.
“And just as importantly we also have an opportunity to bring more people into Wales.”
Eight of the 11 routes have never be serviced before by Flybe from any of its UK bases.
And he believes it could provide the impetus for other airlines to expand or invest in Cardiff. Lord Rowe-Beddoe said: “I really think this can be the spark. Vueling has been doing very well and building.”
Despite the UK Government ruling out Air Passenger Duty being devolved to Wales in the near future in its announcement on further devolved powers last week, Lord Rowe-Beddoe believes it is far from dead in the water and has constantly called for the in the House of Lords that Wales be given powers to vary the tax on all types of flights, not just on long-haul.
Talks with Emirates Airline
Lord Rowe-Beddoe said: It is a typical example of this crazy asymmetric devolution that exists in the UK. The Scots are going to have it [APD] and Northern Ireland have it on longhaul.
“Some say it has been kicked into the long grass, but I don’t think it is going to stay there for one minute.”
Lord Rowe-Beddoe said Cardiff, along with other airports in the UK, were continuing to talk to airlines such as Emirates, with a view to a direct service into a hub airport in the Middle East.
He said: “It is still very much a live lead and we are pursuing it very ardently.
“We also have an excellent hub via Amsterdam to the world, as well as to the US from Dublin.
“However,at the end of day there is nothing better than having a direct long-haul [from Cardiff] to the Middle East and to America as well. These are things we are negotiating on.”
Chief executive of Flybe Saad Hammad & Chair of Cardiff Airport Lord Rowe-Beddoe
On 5th March 2015 Flybe confirmed a major expansion at Cardiff Airport with new routes and announcing that the airport will become it’s newest base with two aircraft in a 10 year deal.
The first of the two based 118 seat Embraer 195 regional jets will arrive in June with the second arriving in Septemeber.
The new routes will be Cork, Dublin, Edinburgh, Faro, Glasgow, Milan, Munich & Paris and will add to the existing services to Belfast City and seasonal flights to Jersey, Dusseldorf & Geneva.
The chief executive of low-cost airline Flybe, Saad Hammad, said the aim was to get as quickly as possible to a desired 400,000 annual passenger level from its new routes out of Cardiff Airport.
Speaking at Cardiff Airport Mr Hammad said: “We are targeting 400,000 incremental passengers annually.”
It is understood that Flybe’s current passenger occupancy rate on its existing network is in the mid 70% range.
As for a time frame to get to the desirable 400,000 passenger mark Mr Hammad said: “That is our vision and we want to get there as quickly as possible.
“We are doing business and sun routes and importantly cities such as Paris and Dublin. So we think it is a really good combination of business and leisure, both for the local community but also to draw traffic into Wales.
“Wales is brilliant for leisure and one of the most beautiful parts of the UK. It is also great in terms of inward business investment, so I think it is a win win all round.”
On the potential for adding further new routes in the future Mr Hammad said: “Absolutely. We will see how we go to get to that occupancy and traffic flows, but the beauty of what we do is that it isn’t a finite thing and if it goes well we want to build on success.
“So the sooner that we get to the kind of volumes we are looking for the better.”
The Aircraft
Although Flybe will have two Embraer 190 aircraft based at Cardiff Airport some flights will be operate by non-based Bombardier Dash8-Q400.
Wales Air Forum will tell you a little more on the aircraft below.
Flybe Bombardier Dash8-Q400 at Cardiff Airport Image taken by Phil Woods
Bombardier Dash8-Q400
The Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 twin-engined, medium range, turboprop aircraft produced by Bombardier Aerospace.
The aircraft is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW100 engines and carries up to 78 passengers in a 2 x 2 seat configuration.
Flybe Embraer 195 at Cardiff Airport Image taken by Phil Woods
Embraer 195
The Embraer 195 is a narrow-body medium-range twin-engined jet aircraft produced by Embraer.
The aircraft is powered by two GE CF34-10E engines and carries up to 118 passengers in a 2x 2 seat configuration.
The city has been reinventing itself for sometime as a great destination for food and drink and it hosts the second biggest arts festival in the UK. The tourism figures are showing the upward trend for the Northern Irish city. Plus, all this development is being helped by the fans of Game of Thrones flocking to visit locations used in the hit show.
The compact city is crammed full of great architecture and fantastic foodie options. The Venice of Ireland is built on waterways and the city centre is an island in the River Lee. Close to Cork is Kinsale, the gourmet capital of Ireland, and also nearby is the kissable Blarney Stone.
An easy city to navigate on foot. There is more to the city than Guinness, but a visit to the factory is a must for most visitors. Not only do you learn everything about how a pint of the black stuff, but you can enjoy a complimentary one as well. There are plenty of museums and galleries, and for family fun there is the National Aquatic Centre.
The German city is a must for culture lovers, with 100 galleries, 26 museums and an opera house. Dusseldorf is a great destination for shopaholics. And after all that cultural and retail therapy you can head to the old town with its 260 bars and restaurants in a half mile square area.
Flights to the Scottish capital from the Welsh capital are nothing new, but they will now be more frequent. During the annual festival the city comes alive, and a New Year’s Eve in the city should be on everyone’s list of things to do before they die. But whatever time of the year you come there is always something to see or do.
For a bit of sun there is Portugal’s southern gem. The capital city of the Algarve region is full of beautiful architecture, marina, parks and plazas. There are plenty of beaches nearby.
Since the 1980s the Scottish city has been rebuilding its reputation – becoming a European City of Culture, fa City of Architecture and Design, and Unesco City of Music. And it is the music scene that is a big draw to the city.
The Island is only nine miles by five, and while that makes it the biggest Channel Island it also makes it very easy to navigate. The War Tunnels are a fascinating trip, along with the castles Mont Orgueil and Elizabeth.
The Bravian city has something for everyone. But a lot of people associate it with one month in particular: October. Oktoberfest brings thousands to the city, but there is far more to it than the annual beer festival, from castles and palaces, to parks and plazas.
A fashionistas playground. The Italian city all about the trendy shops and the designer clobber on offer. There is also the gothic Cathedral and La Scala Opera. Plus you can always take in a game at the San Siro.
The City of Light. The City of Love. Whatever you want to call it a great weekend destination with so much to do. Cardiff Airport has had flights to Paris for a while but the Flybe flights will add to the frequency.
EasyJet flew an additional 6.1% more passengers last month over February 2013.
The budget airline’s carryings reached almost 4.5 million against 4.2 million a year earlier, while the load factor edged up by 0.2 percentge points to 90.9%.
Carryings in the year to February grew by 6.5% to more than 65.6 million passengers.
Meanwhile, low-cost carrier Norwegian admitted that a strike by pilots had led to a drop in ticket sales for this month, especially on domestic routes in Scandinavia.
The airline saw carryings rise by 17% in February to more than 1.6 million.
Chief executive Bjørn Kjos said: “2015 got off to a good start until the pilot strike hit us, which has influenced our traffic figures.
“The situation is deeply regrettable. Although our traffic is running as normal on our long-haul operation and from our bases outside Scandinavia, the strike still affects the entire company.”
Aer Lingus February passenger numbers were down by 2% to 627,000 year-on-year due to a decline in short-haul carryings as capacity was reduced.
The Irish carrier, subject to a potential £1 billion takeover bid by British Airways parent International Airlines Group, saw short-haul numbers drop by 2.9% to 497,000 while Aer Lingus Regional numbers were down by almost 10% to 74,000.
Long-haul carryings rose by 0.9% to 553,000 passengers.
Thomas Cook head of airlines and hotels Christoph Debus has dismissed a recent report that the group discussed selling its airline and defended the record of former chief executive Harriet Green.
Referring to a Sunday Times report last month that Cook was looking to offload its airlines through a joint venture or sale, Debus told Travel Weekly: “I never talked to the investor mentioned [in the article].
“We are definitely not desperate to sell our airline. There were no talks. There is no real news.”
He said: “Harriet asked at the beginning ‘Do we need our airline?’ She realised quickly we have a board able to run an airline successfully.
“We see our selves [Thomas Cook airlines] as a fully integrated part of the group “Our strategy is to create synergies by bringing our airlines together. A pure airline operation does not really make much sense.”
Green left Thomas Cook abruptly late last year and the group is now headed by chief executive Peter Fankhauser.
Debus said: “Harriet was extremely strong in what she did in the first year of transformation.
“She was the perfect person for the job at the time. She did an amazing job.
“I was her first hire. She was a very demanding boss but she taught me a lot. It was always clear she would move on.”
He said: “Peter [Fankhauser] is very experienced in transformation too, but he has also focused on the operations. This is a difference.”
Europe’s largest regional airline, Flybe, has announced it is to create a new base at Cardiff Airport this summer in a move which will see 11 routes, 50 new jobs created and over half a million extra seats on sale from Wales’ national airport.
The new network includes flights to existing routes between Cardiff and Belfast, Düsseldorf and Jersey, plus new routes between Cardiff and Cork, Dublin, Edinburgh, Faro, Glasgow, Munich, Milan and Paris.
Seats will go on sale on Friday 6th March at www.flybe.com, with fares available from £24.99 one way.
Two of the airline’s 118-seat Embraer 195 aircraft will be based at the Airport: the first from 1 June 2015, the second arriving on 1 September 2015. Jobs will include flight crew and ground handling staff.
The announcement follows the signing of a long-term agreement between Flybe and Cardiff Airport.
Saad Hammad, CEO, Flybe said: “We are delighted to launch these exciting new routes from Cardiff Airport. We have been looking to find a productive home for our surplus E195 aircraft and we are delighted at this agreement with Cardiff Airport which involves us basing two of these jets there to serve the Welsh market with great value fares and further improving UK regional connectivity.”
Lord Rowe-Beddoe, Chairman, Cardiff Airport, said: “Our customers want greater choice in routes, more frequent services and better value flights. This new Flybe base is most welcome news for our passengers as it will bring new destinations and increased services from a popular great-value airline, as well as creating opportunities to encourage more visitors to come to Wales.”
First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones said: “Flybe’s announcement that it is opening a new base operating 11 routes from Cardiff Airport is fantastic news. We’ve always said that we want the airport to be a gateway to Wales, as something that will drive our economy by bringing tourists and business to the country. We’ve already invested in improving the overall customer experience at Cardiff Airport and the new routes to major European destinations, as well as the creation of 50 new jobs, demonstrates Flybe’s commitment to the Airport and will help to make it the success we know it can be.”
About Cardiff Airport
Flybe currently operates services to Belfast City, Geneva and Jersey from Cardiff Airport. Over 50 direct routes are available from Cardiff Airport with more than 900 destinations available with connections.
The Airport directly supports over 1700 jobs in South Wales and forms part of the Welsh Government’s Cardiff Airport – St Athan Enterprise Zone.
Flybe is understood to be on the verge of announcement 10 new routes from Cardiff
Airline Flybe is expected to announce a significant expansion of its routes out of Cardiff Airport tomorrow morning in a move that will provide a huge boost to passenger numbers.
The airline, currently operates a Cardiff to Belfast route and from April will launch a new summer season once a week service to Dusseldorf.
However, in a major vote of confidence in Cardiff, it has agreed to locate two aircraft at the Rhoose-based airport.
Flybe’s new routes from Cardiff Airport
It is understood that it is making a long-term commitment to the airport in an investment being supported by the Welsh Government.
Details of the new routes will be revealed tomorrow by Flybe, which is listed on the London Stock Market.
However, they are understood to be:
Cork, Dublin, Edinburgh, Faro, Geneva, Glasgow International, Jersey, Milan Malpensa, Munich and Charles De Gaulle Aiprort in Paris.
The routes to Dublin, Munich and Paris, will provide connecting flights to destinations globally including to key business markets in North America and the Far East for the Welsh business community.
Some of the new routes, including Dublin, will have daily flights, while others will be less frequent.
Combined the new routes should comfortably add a six figure boost to the airport’s annual passenger numbers.
The airport in 2014 handled just over one million passengers.
Cardiff Airport declined to comment.
WalesOnline contacted Flybe, but is still awaiting a response.
An American aerospace company is investing £5m to expand its north Wales site, creating 60 new jobs.
The Triumph Group is carrying out the development at its centre in Deeside, Flintshire.
The company won a contract to supply Airbus with aircraft landing gear components, prompting the development.
First Minister Carwyn Jones said the move “will effectively secure the sustainable long term future of the site”.
The move, backed by £392,000 from the Welsh government, will see production shift from China to north Wales and take the total number of workers at the site to more than 100.
Work on the 2,300sq m extension is set to start in April with production beginning in January 2016.
Cuts to the National Police Air Service will mean that air support from Rhuddlan, Denbighshire, will end in September, and from Pembrey, Carmarthenshire, on New Year’s Day 2016
Budget cuts which will mean the closure of two police helicopter bases in Wales have been described as “deeply disappointing.”
The cuts to the National Police Air Service will mean that air support from Rhuddlan, Denbighshire, will end in September, and from Pembrey, Carmarthenshire, on New Year’s Day 2016.
The cuts, aimed at improving efficiency, mean that the number of bases in England and Wales has been cut to 15.
Helicopter cover will continue from St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan, and Hawarden, Flintshire, and bases in England.
‘Deeply disappointing’
Christopher Salmon, Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Commissioner said the cuts were “deeply disappointing” and pledged to “fight to ensure the best possible service for the people of Dyfed-Powys.
The National Police Air Service said it faced budget cuts of 14% in the next three years on top of 23% savings already made.
Chief Superintendent Ian Whitehouse of NPAS said: “This move will help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the service and means that every base supports police forces 24 hours a day.”
North Wales police and crime commissioner Winston Roddick said he was seeking reassurance that “the integrity of the air cover for North Wales will be maintained and that a first-class service will continue to be provided” from Hawarden.
A former Korean Air executive who forced a plane to return to the gate after nuts were served in a bag rather than bowl, has been jailed for a year.
Heather Cho, who was vice-president of the airline, avoided a possible maximum sentence of 10 years.
Her plane had been taxiing at New York’s JFK airport on December 5 when witnesses said she became angry because she was served macadamia nuts, which she had not asked for, that were still in a bag and not in a bowl.
Witnesses also testified that Cho had struck a crewmember with the service manual.
She ordered the plane to return to the gate and offload the chief steward.
“This is a case where human dignity was trampled upon,” Judge Oh Sung-woo said on Thursday.
She had treated the flight “as if it was her own private plane”, Judge Oh added. “It is doubtful that the way the nuts were served was so wrong.”
The judge also said Cho had failed to show enough remorse, even after she submitted letters to the court apologising for the incident.
Cho, the daughter of the Korean Airline chair, publicly apologised and subsequently resigned from all her posts at the airline in December.
Prosecutors had requested a three-year sentence in prison on charges of breaking aviation law, assault and interfering in an investigation.
Cho’s defence team had argued that aviation safety had not been violated as the plane was still being pushed by a truck away from the gate.
agreed to locate two aircraft at 
Wales Air Forum 