City-Qatar air route is on the up

THE first figures showing how many passengers are using the Cardiff to Qatar air route can be revealed.

The daily service from Qatar Airways between Cardiff Airport and the hub Hamad International Airport in Doha launched back in May.

It’s the first scheduled route from Cardiff Airport, which is whollyowned by the Welsh Government, to the Middle East.

Figures from the Civil Aviation Authority (CCA) show that in its first four months – May 1 to the end of August this year – the route carried just over 30,000 passengers.

But it has been growing steadily month on month, with a projected first year figure of around 90,000, against a total capacity of 150,000. In its launch month of May it carried 2,965 passengers, which climbed to 4,491 in June, 10,160 in July and in August – traditionally one of the busiest months of the year for air passengers – it reached 11,582.

August flights were operating at a healthy passenger rate, or what is referred to in the airline industry as the passenger load factor, of 72%. Based on the first four months this would see the route having a load factor of just under 60% for its first 12 months.

The route from Cardiff is daily during summer season and five times a week during the winter season of October to March.

For the daily Qatar Airways service from Birmingham – using the same capacity 787 Dreamliner aircraft, which can carry just over 250 passengers, as Cardiff – the number was only slightly higher in August at 12,471.

Encouragingly, this is set against the fact that Birmingham launched its Doha route back in 2016.

There is virtually an even split between inbound and outbound passengers using the Cardiff to Doha route. On inbound flights there are a high number of international students, particularly those from the Far East, including China, who fly into Hamad International Airport for connecting flight to Wales.

Asked to respond to the published figures from the CAA, chief executive of Cardiff Airport, Debra Barber, said: “The Qatar Airways service only started five months ago and we are pleased with how it’s developing.

“August has been our busiest month in a decade, and these passenger numbers are reflected across all our carriers, including the Qatar Airways service with top countries travelled to via the new hub, including Thailand, Pakistan, India and Australia.”