Face to Face: Jon Horne, Cardiff Airport
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Travel Daily speaks to Jon Horne, CEO of Cardiff Airport who previously held the role several years ago and returns under the airport’s new government owners
Congratulations on the new role, why did you decide to return to Cardiff Airport as CEO?
There is a wonderful opportunity here and I was pleased to have taken it. I think there is potential for the airport to grow and the reality is the chance hasn’t been available to chase for passengers over the other airports. That has been the hub of why we have gone backwards but we can recapture the market and can get it back. We’ve hit the ground running and I’ve been here two weeks now so it will be a broad approach initially.
When I was here before the current team was here and we achieved the best numbers in the history of the airport. The market is not broken and there is a lot of experience and commitment here to drive things forward.
Is there a renewed energy from the team under the new owners?
The new ownership brings a change in that we have an owner who is committed to Wales. As part of that the airport is able to deliver what it can for Wales, its people and economy. There is a synergy now and we are not at odds with the aspirations of our owners.
Everyone here has been enthusiastic about the new ownership and changes coming in to the airport. They feel there is a clear future now and we have quickly defined where we are going and how we are going to get there. All are committed and dedicated to that.
Early signs from our meetings suggest there is a feeling of re-engagement and that it is very positive.
What is your long-term goal for the airport?
Our ultimate goal is to be as successful as we can be. We want to be one of the largest contributors to the economy of Wales and south Wales at a high level.
There are a range of things we have defined but there is a clear mandate from the new owners and we want to do all we can to develop what leads into that. We are not blinkered in our approach so we’re looking into all the possibilities.
What are the main focuses now?
In the short to mid-term we want to recapture the passengers that travel to airports outside of Wales and get that confidence back. We need to re-engage and get these people to come back so we can build successful businesses and then get passengers flying back out from the airport again.
There will be longer term goals off the back of that.
It’s mainly about re-engagement and explaining that we are open for business, open for opportunities and to make sure we can realise that for the airlines and tour operators. It won’t happen over-night but the first step is to let potential partners know we are open for business.
We hope to be able to announce some physical changes to improve the experience. We have to think about how we make the airport process as simple, easy and pleasant as possible.
How do you plan to claim back those passengers lost to other airports?
If you look at the statistics there are 1.1 million people from this area who are flying from Bristol and there is a significant number flying from south east England and Birmingham. We need to create a choice of services that will encourage people to choose Cardiff when they fly. It is fundamental that we share that the market is there and that we tell carriers how we can do that, because they do want to fly from here and we have to realise the expectations. There are three million people in Wales and our core catchment area covers two million.
We cannot provide all services and some will naturally leak to south east London. But there are lots of core destinations such as Spain where we are not currently penetrating well and that is our low-hanging fruit. We’ve already seen Vueling take steps in flying from Cardiff and they are now operating increased frequencies to several locations. They have found it a success and that has given us the confidence that we can create that choice for the area.
There are a range of carriers here that have shown loyalty and been successful. Our first priority is to meet with them and discuss the new situation, then spread out our opportunities to others.
It’s really about re-instating the confidence back. The airport has suffered in the past few years and lost almost 50% of its passengers, which sends out a bad message. The market here is not broken and it’s about getting ourselves back out there.
Will travel agents also be an important part of your development plans?
Travel agents are absolutely a key part to our strategy. A very significant number of people in south Wales use a travel agent and that’s a really important part of our growth. That’s why I’m delighted Thirsty Thursday is taking place but we need to do even more to increase and see that side develop. It’s a two-way thing too, we want to hear from travel agents about the people that holiday from this region and what destinations and facilities they want.
This week we launched a campaign to people in south Wales to share what they want from the airport. An online survey is taking place because at the end of the day we’re about understanding what it is that customers want and then providing that. The travel trade is a huge part of that too.