By Sion Barry
Copyright walesonline
Cardiff Airport has appointed a new chief executive. Jon Bridge, whose previous roles include being chief executive of brewing and hospitality company SA Brain & Co, will take up his new position at the helm of the Welsh Government-owned airport next month. The role has been held in an interim capacity by board member Andy Jones – a former chief executive of the Port of Milford Haven – following the departure of former chief executive Spencer Birns back in March. No reason for his exit from what was a £131,000 remunerated role was given. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here Mr Bridge said “I’m honoured to be joining Cardiff Airport at such a pivotal time. The national airport of Wales is a vital asset for our country, providing economic benefits, jobs and ensures global connectivity. “We are striving to be the first choice for airline passengers and the centre of Wales’ aviation related industry. “I’ll be working hard with our team and partners to continue the process of diversifying the business, driving growth, developing our people and ensuring we continue to provide an excellent experience for our customers.” A legal challenge, on the grounds of anti-competitive state aid, has been lodged by rival Bristol Airport over plans by the Welsh Government to provide, over a 10 year period, £200m in grant funding to the loss-making airport. The Cardiff Bay administration said the funding was designed to support a number of activities including securing new routes to get passengers up to two million a year by 2035, and growing non terminal related incomes, such as from aircraft maintenance repair and overhaul. In its last financial year the airport posted an Ebitda (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation), of £5.8m. However, this was before the release of a Welsh Government grant of £10.1m as part of the airport’s five year post-Covid recovery plan. With grant, debt and equity support, and the £52m paid to acquire it from Spanish group Abertis in 2013, the Welsh Government has invested around £180m in the airport. Latest figures from the Civil Aviation Authority for the year to the end of July, 2025, shows the airport handled 907,000 passengers, up from 872,000 a year earlier. The airport is still below its pre-pandemic annual passenger number of 1.6 million. As part of its pandemic recovery plan it has forecast to get back to that figure by 2026, but that is now unlikely to be achieved. Some 20% of passengers at Bristol Airport are drawn from Wales (some two million). The airport, which is run on commercial grounds by a company at arm’s length from the Welsh Government, currently directly employs 2,400, while at the nearby St Athan airfield and business park, which it manages, a further 1,600 are employed. The airport has a £200m annual impact on the Welsh economy through the gross value added (GVA) economic measure.