Written question WQ96307
- Asked by
- Janet Finch-SaundersConservative
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 11 days
Question
Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the Welsh Government's plans to provide Cardiff Airport with £205 million of funding over the next decade, and where this money will be allocated?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
I recently announced an investment package for Cardiff Airport, which includes investment for commercial passenger air route development and is aimed at delivering wider economic growth across South Wales. Details of the long-term strategy of the Welsh Ministers for Cardiff Airport have been published in Written Statements published in July 2024: Written Statement: Cardiff Wales Airport – long term strategy (22 July 2024) | GOV.WALES and earlier this month: Written Statement: Enabling the economic growth potential of Cardiff Airport and the South Wales region (2 April 2025) | GOV.WALES.
The subsidy investment package provides for a maximum total investment of £205.2m over a 10-year period. The total package is divided into:
1) a subsidy package for non-passenger business development of £105.2m; and
2) a subsidy package for commercial passenger air route development of up to £100m.
The amounts allocated to each package are ring-fenced.
A first investment of £20m was made on 7 April 2025.
Funding within each subsidy package will be awarded on an annual basis, as part of the Welsh Government annual budget planning process. As part of this process, the Welsh Government will make indicative allocations of funding for the Airport for future financial years. The final amount to be awarded each year will be determined on a rolling annual basis by progress against the Airport’s business plan and the timing of potential business growth deals. This will ensure that the annual level of investment is justified and growth led.