Calls grow for Welsh Government to step up efforts to restore key international route
CARDIFF AIRPORT has become the only UK hub where Qatar Airways flights to Doha have not resumed—prompting sharp criticism from Welsh Conservative MS Andrew RT Davies, who accused ministers of “sitting on their hands” and allowing a once-promising international link to stagnate.
The airport, which is wholly owned by the Welsh Government, saw its Qatar Airways service suspended in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the Doha route has since been restored at Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh, it remains grounded in Cardiff—five years after it was initially launched with fanfare and ministerial backing.
This week, Davies slammed the Labour-led Welsh Government, saying it had “lost interest” in the airport and failed to protect the significant taxpayer investment that helped bring Qatar Airways to Wales in the first place.
“The Welsh Government have put significant resource into Cardiff Airport over the years, and it’s sad to see that they now seem happy to allow that investment to wither on the vine,” he said.
“Ministers have to roll up their sleeves and get operators back to the airport, and that should start with bringing Qatar Airways back to the Vale of Glamorgan.”
Government distances itself
His comments followed a letter from Economy Secretary Rebecca Evans MS, who confirmed that it is the airport’s executive team—not Welsh ministers—currently handling negotiations with the airline.
“Cardiff Airport… operates in an independent and commercial manner,” Evans wrote. “Ministers do not intervene in the airport’s day-to-day commercial operating matters, nor do they intervene with the operators’ commercial decisions.”
While she added that she would “very much welcome” the route’s return when the time was right, Davies argued that this marked a stark shift from the proactive government approach seen under former First Minister Carwyn Jones, who held direct talks with the airline prior to the 2018 launch.
The former Welsh Conservative leader says that while the government once proudly showcased the Doha route as a cornerstone of Wales’ international strategy, it now appears to be washing its hands of responsibility.
A route of strategic significance
The Cardiff–Doha route was promoted as a gateway to Asia, Australasia and the Middle East. The Welsh Government entered into a £1.5 million marketing partnership with Qatar Airways through Visit Wales to build tourism and trade links—particularly from Australia, India, China and Japan.
At the time, Carwyn Jones described the deal as “a huge boost” for the Welsh economy. The inaugural flight was met with a red carpet welcome and extensive media coverage.
But the pandemic brought the service to a halt in March 2020. Since then, airlines have returned to every other UK airport they served—except Cardiff.
Despite reports that negotiations with Qatar Airways remain “ongoing and positive”, there has been no confirmation of a timeline for resumption, and public pressure is growing for answers.
Publicly owned, publicly scrutinised
Cardiff Airport was purchased by the Welsh Government in 2013 for £52 million and has received over £130 million in additional support since. Passenger numbers have rebounded more slowly than elsewhere, with 2024 figures still well below the pre-COVID peak of 1.65 million.
In recent years, critics have questioned whether the airport is delivering value for money. Davies’ latest intervention plays into wider scrutiny of the government’s arm’s-length approach, particularly when it comes to long-haul connections and international growth.
“Cardiff Airport is a large employer in the area, and it should be a viable international airport for passengers from the Vale, Cardiff, Bridgend and elsewhere to use,” Davies added. “Unfortunately, it seems the Welsh Government are happy to sit back and watch it decline.”
What happens next?
While the Welsh Government insists the airport’s commercial matters lie outside its direct control, opposition parties and aviation stakeholders are calling for a clearer strategy to bring key routes back to life.
For now, the future of the Qatar Airways service—once a flagship link for Wales—remains uncertain, with the only confirmed fact being that negotiations are continuing, quietly, behind closed doors.
