Cardiff Airport secures new airline for Glasgow and Paris flights

Cardiff Airport has secured CityJet, part of the Air France airline group, to operate their Glasgow and Paris (Orly) routes and immediately fill the breach left by Flybe.

CityJet will start serving the routes on 20th January 2014, ensuring there is a seamless transition for these vital services from the Welsh capital. This follows the announcement Flybe made on 4th December that it will be withdrawing these routes with effect from 19th January 2014, as a result of the reorganisation of its business.

CityJet’s initial schedule from 20th January will deliver a twice daily weekday service to Glasgow with daily weekend flights. Paris will be served by a daily flight Monday to Friday and on Sundays.

From the start of the summer schedule on 30th March, flights to Edinburgh and Jersey will be added. Edinburgh will be served three times a day Monday to Friday with one flight on Saturdays and two on Sundays. Jersey will be served with five weekly return flights. The summer schedule will also see a third daily flight added to the Glasgow route on Thursdays and Fridays whilst Paris (Orly) will then be served every day of the week.

By the middle of summer, CityJet will be operating more than 80 flights a week in and out of Cardiff Airport.

Christine Ourmières, CityJet’s Chief Executive, said: “We’re very excited to be launching a dynamic new network from Cardiff, and are thrilled to introduce the CityJet service to Wales. We are confident that our network and schedule to these four new destinations will be a success – both for the Welsh community and for CityJet.

“We’re really pleased to be working with the team at Cardiff Airport as we share a common commitment to provide convenient, hassle-free travel to popular destinations throughout the UK and Europe. Like them, we’re expanding our network and are focused on offering choice for both business and leisure travellers, and providing the service the community wants and needs.”

CityJet is an award-winning regional airline, offering over 680 flights a week to popular destinations in the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe and is renowned for its complimentary on-board service.

Cardiff Airport’s Chief Executive, Jon Horne, said: “This is fantastic news and I’m delighted CityJet has responded so quickly to pick up these vitally important routes from Cardiff Airport. We’re very pleased that there will be continuity in our services to Glasgow and Paris for the tens of thousands of passengers a year for whom these routes are vital.

“It is always good to welcome a new airline to Cardiff; in CityJet’s case it’s really great, given the scale of the commitment they have made to the Airport and to Wales.”

Commenting on the announcement, Cardiff Airport’s Chairman, Lord Rowe-Beddoe, said: “This is excellent news. We are delighted to welcome CityJet to Cardiff and to Wales. I am proud that the management team has succeeded in securing a new airline to fill the breach left by Flybe. The speed with which this has been achieved is testament to management’s commitment to ensuring the Airport’s success.”

Tickets can be booked from 8th January 2014 at www.cityjet.com.