WalesOnline readers have had their say on Wales' biggest airport.
Cardiff Airport, which is located in Rhoose near Barry, was purchased by the Welsh Government for £52m in 2013.
The Welsh Government revealed that the purchasing of the airport was made as a "strategic addition" to Wales' transport infrastructure and to "secure its future" after an extended period of commercial decline.
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We asked our readers what they thought of Cardiff Airport on Facebook - and many shared their opinions as well as made suggestions on how to improve it.
During the past two years, Cardiff Airport has been massively affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
In 2020, as aviation sector was one of the hardest hit sectors during the pandemic due to lockdown and restrictions, Cardiff Airport's interim boss revealed that business was down 93% on the same time in 2019.
In March of last year, it was announced that the airport was being given another £42m of taxpayers' cash, while another £42.6m it owed in debt to the Welsh Government was being written off.
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As a result, the airport was said to be worth around £15m in 2021, which was less than a third of what the Welsh Government paid for it eight years prior.
In response, Lee Waters MS, who was the deputy minister for economy and transport at the time, said that without such a decision the airport would have been forced to close.
During a committee meeting, he said: "We didn't do this lightly. We've been in ongoing dialogue with the airport, which continues to operate on a commercial basis, and we have a system of checks and balances in place to make sure the support we do offer is done on that arrangement."
In February of this year, it was confirmed by Eastern Airways that flights from Cardiff Airport to Belfast had been suspended for a further three months.
The route was restored in May 2021, however in January 2022 the airline made the decision to suspend the service until early March. It was then announced that the service would stay suspended until the beginning of June.
Facebook user, Anthony Greedy, said that the airport was "not fit for purpose".
"Over priced parking and over zealous parking staff. Cardiff International Airport? It’s an embarrassment," he wrote.
"A total waste of Welsh tax payers money. Should be returned to private hands, that’s if any serious company would be stupid enough to buy the white elephant. No rail or decent road access, the place is a disaster. I fly regularly and prefer to haul myself across to Bristol every time!"
Amy Liddington said: "As someone who travels a lot for work, for me, Cardiff doesn’t have enough selection of destinations or airlines.
"Would be good to see someone like British Airways or another one world partner take over there and offer more flights to different places".
Lisa Crofts Gray suggested ways in which the airport could cater for more local travellers.
She said: "Welsh Government should market and promote this airport to the best they can - most people would love to fly local - Bristol Airport are getting most of the Welsh travellers due to cheap flights and budget airlines - make the landing fees better and the big names will want to fly from here - such a wasted opportunity".
However Glenn Bowditch liked the airport. He added: "We use it whenever we can, friendly staff also".
Judith De Jong- Munstra agreed: "It's a good airport. And convenient, we live [five] minutes away from it, and its a hassle to go to Bristol to fly home to the Netherlands."
Paul Sheryn said: "I live in the US, my hometown is Barry, flew into Cardiff via Dublin, so much easier than flying through Heathrow after a night flight, unfortunately there don't seem to be any Dublin flights now, so it's LHR [London Heathrow] for me next time!"
Giulio Povia called for more selections of flight destinations, he said: "Would be great if more selection of flights, for different countries than Spain or Portugal. At least recently flights to Paris have been added, but still we need more European destinations."
But for Angela Evans, pricing was the ultimate issue.
She said: "Lush airport but internal flights are scandalous prices in addition to charging to drop off and pick up is a rip off. I will continue to use Bristol as their flights are far more reasonable and parking is so easy there. I am surprised it is still open".
In response, a Welsh Government spokesperson said: "We are committed to maintaining an airport in Wales because of the benefits that it brings to the Welsh economy as a whole, while recognising the challenges this creates for meeting our targets on decarbonisation."
A spokesperson for Cardiff Airport added: "Cardiff Airport continues to transform our business through operational excellence, with our team and customers at the heart of all we do.
"We appreciate customer feedback as we strive to provide great customer service and facilitate safe travel to all of our customers. In terms of improving the choice of airlines and destinations available from Cardiff, we are working hard to rebuild our network following the impact of the pandemic.
"To that end, we are looking forward to welcoming Wizz Air - one of the biggest low-cost airlines in Europe – when they begin operations out of Cardiff Airport in April."
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