Welsh Liberal Democrats are questioning the Labour First Minister’s actions in entering into an exclusive relationship to buy Cardiff Airport for the nation with no prior consultation of the Assembly and without publishing any clear idea of how it will be run.
Eluned Parrott, Liberal Democrat Shadow Economy and Transport Minister has written an article on this over at Freedom Central. She said:
This is of course without consulting the Assembly, without revealing the price he’s offered, without revealing a business plan for the airports future, or without even stating what his government is planning on doing with it or who he plans to let run it.
She added that she had no philosophical objection to the airport being in state hands, but that Mr Jones may have brought its problems on himself:
Over the past year, the First Minister of Wales has used every opportunity to run down Cardiff Airport and its management. While he may feel this was a clever move, driving the potential price of the airport down, it will also have acted to scare away any airlines interested in running flights from Cardiff (after all, even the local politicians think it’s a terrible airport) and to scare off any potential private investors. What private investor would want to buy an airport that is humiliated in public and subject to so much political interference?
I was quite surprised to read this as my only experience, just a few months ago, of Cardiff Airport was very positive, both at arrival and departure. The worst part of the journey was the appalling Arriva train between Rhoose and the centre of Cardiff.
You can read the full article here.
* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
2 Comments
This is typical, in so many ways, of Labour run Wales . Secrecy, cliques, never mind the bills. I remeber the First Minister being aked about whyso few people were usingit now and him saying that he wasn’t surprised because he wouldn’t either. I can’t imagine Alex Salmond talking about a Scottish airport negatively like that, and Wales only has the one!
Eluned is right about the dreadful,once an hour rail link to the airport, which doesn’t go to the airport but to a trainstation with a ‘free’ shuttle, which drivers quiteboften make passengers pay to use (no tickets or receipts available). Unfortunately, the airport train has about the best and cleanest rolling stock of the whole Arriva Trains Wales ‘fleet’, if not exactly any luggage facilities.
The last time I flew from Cardiff, about 6 weeks ago on a Saturday afternoon, there were no other flights for hours and they called us to the departure gate 45 minutes early so that they could shut the shops and cafes in the departure lounge to let the staff go home! And then, hilariously, they announced on the plane that they had missed our takeoff slot and so we’d have to wait.
Not that the next nearest airport, Bristol, is exactly easy to get to or problems free.
Have to say my experience of Cardiff Airport over many years is more akin to John’s than Caron’s. I share Eluned’s philosophical indifference to WG buying it but will take some convncing that that will result in improvement.