Cardiff Airport Parking
Welcome to Cardiff Airport Parking, where you can choose from a range of car parking options at Cardiff Airport, and book online quickly and easily using our secure booking facility.
By pre-booking your airport parking you guarantee availability and save up to 25% on the price you would normally pay. Booking your car parking takes a matter of minutes.
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Cardiff International Airport (IATA: CWL, ICAO: EGFF) is an international airport located in the village of Rhoose, in the Vale of Glamorgan, approximately 12 mi (19 km) south-west of the Welsh capital, Cardiff. The only large airport in Wales, Cardiff International is served by scheduled, low-fare and charter carriers, and also supports corporate and general aviation. Contents [hide] * 1 History * 2 A centre for aviation excellence * 3 Airlines and destinations * 4 Future plans * 5 External links * 6 References [edit] History The history of Cardiff International Airport extends back 60 years to the early 1940s when the Air Ministry requisitioned land in the rural Vale of Glamorgan to set up a wartime satellite aerodrome and training base for Royal Air Force (RAF) Spitfire pilots. Construction work commenced in 1941, and the airfield officially began life on 7 April 1942 when it was taken over by No 53 Operational Training Unit. The commercial potential of the runway was recognised in the early 1950s with Aer Lingus starting a service to Dublin in 1952. A new terminal building followed, along with flights to France, Belfast and Cork. An escalation in holiday charter business resulted in passenger throughput exceeding 100,000 in 1962. 1986 saw a further extension of 750 ft (229 m) to the runway, costing in the region of £1 million, thus attracting more business to the airport in the form of new generation jet aircraft. Development of transatlantic links were made with charter flights to Florida, in addition to the previously established links with Canada. The runway extension, enabling the airport to handle 747 jumbo jets, was instrumental in attracting the British Airways (BA) Maintenance facility to Cardiff International Airport. The maintenance hangar is one of the largest in the world (at 250 m x 175 m, 820 ft x 574 ft) and provides heavy airframe and engineering maintenance for the British Airways fleet and third party carriers. The early 1990s saw a significant boost to the airport’s scheduled services when Manx Airlines established their European air route hub at Cardiff, offering daily services to key business destinations within Europe and the United Kingdom (UK). Consequently scheduled passenger levels exceeded 100,000 for the first time in a single year. In April 1995, due to planned Local Government re-organisation in Wales, the Airport Company was privatised, with shares being sold to Welsh property and development firm, TBI plc, now a subsidiary of abertis airports. The airport is not only the main maintenance base for British Airways but also home to a variety of aerospace-oriented firms, and therefore a major contributor to the economic development of the region. Cardiff Airport attracts over two million passengers a year, according to the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority and airport statistics, making it the 20th largest airport in the UK. In October 2004, the airport was named as one of the top ten best airports in the world, by the Telegraph Travel Awards. In 2002 BA withdrew their routes from the airport; many of their routes were taken over by the new low-cost carrier bmibaby; their arrival at the airport brought a range of new routes as well. The volume of charter airlines operating from the airport in recent years has steadily increased, as have flights by low fare carriers bmibaby, Thomsonfly and Zoom Airlines. Air Wales ceased operating in April 2006, with most routes transferring to other carriers, while in April Ryanair's once-daily Dublin service was replaced by three daily Aer Arann services, following a disagreement over landing charges between the Airport and Ryanair. [edit] A centre for aviation excellence The airport lies in an area, as defined by the Welsh Assembly Government as a centre for aviation excellence, with several high-profile aviation companies being located in a small radius. On the airport site British Airways has its major long-haul Boeing 777 maintenance facility and Barry College has an avionics and engineering training centre just outside the terminal building. The General Electric Aviation engine maintenance facility is based 7 mi (11 km) from Cardiff in the village of Nantgarw; in December of 2005 they entered an agreement worth £2.3 billion with British Airways for the maintenance of the airline's Rolls Royce engines. The Defence Aviation Repair Agency (DARA) is based in St Athan, four miles from the airport. A KLM 'Cityhopper' flight takes off Enlarge A KLM 'Cityhopper' flight takes off [edit] Airlines and destinations * Aer Arann (Cork, Dublin, Galway, Nantes [starts June 19 2007]) * Air Southwest (Manchester, Newquay) * bmibaby (Alicante, Amsterdam, Belfast-International, Edinburgh, Faro, Geneva, Glasgow, Jersey, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, Prague) * Eastern Airways (Newcastle) * Flybe (Belfast-City [starts May 17 2007]) * KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam) * Zoom Airlines (Toronto, Vancouver) A bmibaby flight lands on the runway Enlarge A bmibaby flight lands on the runway [edit] Future plans The airport's management announced, on 29 March 2006, a £100m development strategy which will see the current terminal being extended, as well as upgrades to the main body of the building. It is anticipated that the investment will attract up to 5m passengers by 2015 - an increase of 150% - according to the airport's published response to a UK Government White paper on the future of commercial aviation throughout the United Kingdom.
