Facebook user suggests Cardiff Airport is ‘a flop’ because of Welsh language use
Stephen Price
A Facebook user has suggested that Cardiff Airport is ‘such a flop’ because of the use of the Welsh language on screens and signage.
Sharing an image of a Welsh language departures screen on Facebook group Cardiff Airport (CWL – EGFF) on Thursday 27 June, Ian Nod wrote: “People ask why Cardiff Airport is such a flop, well here’s one reason.
“An international airport where they use the Welsh language.
“How stupid.”
“How dare we”
The since-deleted post was shared widely across social media, with many in disbelief that the post had been created and had yet to be taken down by the group’s moderators.
Pamela James wrote, simply: “Because we are Welsh. They probably show English too.”
Another user agreed, writing: “A Welsh airport where it uses Welsh and English. Also suggesting Cardiff Airport is a flop because of the Welsh language is bizarre.
“I’ve never chosen to fly from an airport because of the language they put on the screens.
“It’s odd how some people feel the need to post BS like this just to stir things up.”
“Lack of pride”
Carl Davies added: “The lack of pride that our national language is being used at an international airport is frankly quite disgusting.
“No wonder hardly anyone knows about us or our culture.. perhaps you’d like the Welsh Not to be reintroduced?
Bethan Forward agreed, saying: “How do these people even manage to get out of bed in the morning? Honestly!”
Sharing a picture of departure and arrival screens in many other world languages, Helen Williams wrote: “Omg how dare we do the same as other countries.”
Mr Nod replied, writing: “How many people speak Welsh? These countries don’t have to bail their airports out with taxpayers (sic) money (constantly).
“And I can see that they actually have flights. In a couple of weeks there will be one or two flights a day out of Cardiff.”
James Hornsey joked: “I know what you mean! I almost missed my flight from Bangkok last year as all the boards were written in Thai! Outrageous!”
Lloyd Bingham added: “I bet you were distracted by someone saying ‘I’m a proud Thai man but all this Thai language is nonsense.”
Another user said: “Shall we tell the Maltese or Icelandic people to only use English too, since Welsh speakers outnumber those by considerable amounts?”
“Rubbish”
However, many agreed with Mr Nod.
Diane Jones wrote: “I appreciate the Welsh language is spoken by some people, but what (sic) load of rubbish to use it in an international airport with all nationalities passing through.”
Appreciating the support, and suggesting that the airport will one day become a housing estate, Mr Nod replied: “Some people understand Diane. Others want to promote being patriotic and only thinking about the few hundred that only speak Welsh other than the millions of people that can’t speak Welsh.
Cardiff Airport
Cardiff Airport continues to make a loss as it struggles to attract passengers back to pre-pandemic levels.
The airport lost £4.5m in the year to March 2023 according to company accounts, after receiving a government grant of £5.3m.
The company, which is owned by the Welsh Government, hopes to make more use of its land to raise money.
Accounts say that the decision of Wizz Air to end its ties with the airport in 2023 reinforces “the need to ensure that dependence on passenger activities for the majority of revenues is reduced”.
Commitment
A Welsh Government spokesperson said previously: “We’re committed to maintaining an airport in Wales because of the benefits it brings to the Welsh economy and its local supply chain.
“The airport generates over £240m GVA to the Welsh economy, annually. The executive team continues to work hard to restore flights and diversify the business as part of its recovery from the pandemic.
“Commercial discussions remain ongoing between Cardiff Airport and the airline regarding the resumption of the Qatar Airways’ Doha service from Cardiff.”
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Last couple of times I have flown from Rhoose, I barely seen any evidence Cymru existed. Lots of union flags on things to buy. So surely the weird brit nat must be happpy at that.
Those type of comments are all over social media daily.
People are free to spew hate and vile racism against us every day, and zero action will be taken.
How I’d love to cause those anti-language scum some suffering
Ha ha the moderators thought this was a good comment, people like you are deranged.
Hope Ian Nod is sucked into an airplane engine. That’ll teach him.
Probably not the use of Welsh, more likely very few and expensive flights might be the reason CWL is a flop and black hole for Welsh Tax Payers money!
If the Westminster Conservative Govt had devolved Air Passenger Duty to the Welsh Govt, then Cardiff could lower costs and position itself more keenly.
However, Welsh politicians like Alun Cairns, the MP for the constituency the airport is actually in, did not want this and complained that it would be unfair to an English airport if Cardiff was a level playing field competitor.
One of the 2 big airlines at Bristol said it would come to Cardiff if the APD was delolved and set fairer.
I 100% agree Nobby. You would be surprised how difficult it is for Wales to be able to promote itself internationally when it has very few international connections compared to England, Scotland or Ireland. Its not in the interest of the Conservative party for Wales to benefit from anything, because a) Labour get the blame for it, and b) it enhances their muscular unionism strategy (Wales isn’t capable of self-government, they don’t even have an airport, etc etc!!)
Neither Welsh Labour or Plaid Cymru will lower APD if it is devolved, for the simple reason it would be adverse to their green policy. The only party in Wales that has openly called for AOPD to be scrapped is the Tories. Also, why do you feel it’s right and proper for one airport to gain an advantage over another through a tax break?
Perhaps you may want to educate yourself rather than listen to the APD snake oil.
It is devolved to both Scotland and Northern Ireland, so there is no reason it cannot be devolved to Wales. Can you imagine Germany trying to prevent Netherlands from setting APD rates because Amsterdam Schiphol might have an advantage over German Airports? Each of the four UK nations promote themselves to the world independently, as they have their own Tourist Boards. A lack of a decent airport in Wales (and poor internal transport infrastructure) disadvantages Wales compared to other UK nations. When the UK Government denies Wales the power to set APD because of Bristol’s objections it is a conflict… Read more »
P.S. Please name these two airlines as everyone I have spoken to, over the last 15 years working in Aviation Media, has said APD is not even a factor in their operations. (I mean you wouldn’t be making it up I’m sure so educate me.)
Take a look at who operates out of Bristol Airport and work it out for yourself. I’m sure an industry man like you will fathom it easy.
Sold out by welsh secretaries as part of a Bristol region. That’s been a curse on Sputh Wales
It’s a flop because of it’s geographical location.
An International Airport with B class road access plus a railway station that doesn’t even serve the airport.
If this is true why do so many drive to Gatwick, Luton or Stansted. It’s flight choice and price that makes people choose an airport. If these are right they’ll crawl through a hedge backwards if necessary. And it’s only 40 minutes from Cardiff city centre to the airport terminal by train and connecting shuttle. That’s quicker than many London airports.
Clearly Mr Nod and his acolytes are a bunch of carrots!
Aahhh hahahaha!
One Facebook bigot does not a news story make…
The way you worded that sounds like you directly translated it from German
Sorry, it was a play on the saying “One swallow does not a summer make”.
Understood, well played
Archaic English sentence structure is the same as German.
Yes it does as it clearly shows a pattern of behaviour towards the native Britons and their language.
It clearly shows that bigoted idiots exist, but if there was a pattern of behaviour it wouldn’t be news. It’s news because thankfully it’s rare.
The ramblings of one idiot doesn’t show a pattern of anything.
Really? So it’s a just a coincidence how the news mispronounces place name or misspells place names in regards to anything Wales? It’s just a coincidence that we have so many people moaning about having to see the language on their visits to Wales? It’s just a coincidence it only ever comes from one group of people from one single country? Having being alive for almost 40 years – yes I see exactly that, a continuous pattern of behaviour which targets the language in order to shame people into putting English interests above native interests.
Mr Nod and his bigoted ilk should fly with Icelandic Airways and travel to Reyjjavik. The airline and the airport make extensive use of Icelandic, spoken by some 330,000 people (some 200,000 fewer than those who speak Welsh). He should then fly on to Chicago where O’Hare Airport displays ‘Croeso’ (and its equivalent in over 40 languages) to greet new arrivals.
Yep, I’ve flown from/to Reykjavik. As you say Icelandic is extensively used even though, like Wales, English is widely spoken. Yet, despite having no Icelandic, I managed to find the airport bus, and get on the right plane when I was going home. Amazing, eh?
You managed to get on the right plane because you read the English signs and listened to the English announcements!!
Cardiff Airport is owned by an organisation that has an ideological problem with fossil fuels and flying, i.e. the Welsh Government. Unsurprisingly, it has suffered with underinvestment and a lack of confidence from prospective airlines. The Welsh Government needs to cut the taxpayer’s losses and offload the airport onto somebody who actually wants it.
Go to Bristol airport and you will hear the whole spectrum of Welsh accents – there is no lack of Welsh demand for flights.
It’s not lack of confidence from airlines, it’s the fact that falsely inflated charges Imposed from London, to advantage Bristol and Birmingham, that put off airlines flying from Cardiff. A report by Bristol airport opposing devolution of APD said ” a loss of up to 33 routes from Bristol, £834 million loss to the economy and the loss if 1500 jobs over a 10 year period” would be the result of Cardiff getting controll over APD. That is why Cardiff struggles.
Bristol also used the fact that Cardiff have seen double digit growth, outstripping percentage increases in Bristol, as further evidence that the devolution of APD is not required. All figures above taken from written evidence submitted by Bristol Airport Ltd ( APD0007) on inquiry into devolution of APD.
This is the only sensible comment I’ve seen in this blog post!
The private sector isn’t interested until it reaches two million passengers. The same was true for Bristol which was state owned for forty years before the private sector showed any interest.
APD is the real barrier to growth because it encourages a small number of oversubscribed airports. It should be reformed as a genuine environmental tax, such as promoting cleaner aircraft, penalising the extended taxiing and stacking that is normal at the busiest airports, and discouraging long surface journeys.
Ah yes, the ‘blame everything on the Welsh language’ brigade. The same idiots who say that Betsy Cadwaladr health board is in special measures because they have to translate stuff into Cymraeg (I kid you not). They are either – Saxon colonists and settlers or B – Dic Sion Dafydds with an inferiority complex.
On a personal note – as a learner, I always seek out the Cymraeg in signs and the like: keeps myself thinking in the language and (hopefully) improving in it. I thought that the response showing arrival / departure screens around the world in different languages was a clever response. That said – I woud question the value of articles in this vein. The article quotes one of the reponses to the original poster as “It’s odd how some people feel the need to post BS like this just to stir things up.” . In a way, that hints at… Read more »
Thanks for the multiple hits! 😀 Haha, nah you’ve got a point but it gets people talking (most interacted with and viewed new (albeit not very deep!) story today), it highlights the opinions many (and often many in power) have of our language, and it’s a bit of egg on their face when people rightly turn a mirror to them. As someone who is second language and rusty as hell, it makes me even more fired up to keep at it and ensure provision everywhere, to use Welsh at a hole in the wall etc etc.. Dal ati!
Good response – aye indeed , gets people talking , and I had to have ‘my 2 penneth’ as it were. And on a positive , it has given the opportunity for us to declare that we are indeed ‘dal ati’ on the Cymraeg front!
Cardiff Central is bilingual. Dublin Airport is bilingual. Do people seriously think we prefer to travel further afield to Bristol or Heathrow to avoid bilingualism? There are lots of issues with Cardiff Airport, but the Welsh language isn’t one of them.
Wales is the only place in the entire world where this is acceptable! Why isn’t this plastered all over our news? Oh wait, because our news and the subjects discussed is decided in London and sent to us. It’s clear and obvious at this point that these people need to start being charged, if I said this about Yiddish and/or Jews I would be crucified and rightfully so.
Because it’s one d******d on Facebook, and he’s already (rightly) been ridiculed for it.
Incodentally, what happened to the exchange with the owner of the Facebook group?
This happens year in year out!!! If it isn’t people complaining about the language on signs, it’s the news’ mis-pronunciation of words and place names. Sky and BBC sometimes dont even attempt at saying the place names, instead just saying South or North Wales. We are insulted over and over and unlike others, we are expected to just accept it as a “one off” or “Banter”. Well I won’t, all I’m going say is I pity the person who ever says anything untoward about my nation and people in my presence. I won’t accept any backhanded remarks about my country,… Read more »
How shocking !!! Using Cymraeg in Cymru. What ever next ????
“had yet to be taken down by the group’s moderators.” I see you have updated the post, but please explain why you feel we should have taken it down. We don’t work on a censorship basis and this is one person’s opinion, which if you don’t think they are entitled to express it perhaps shows the bigoted idealism often displayed by nationalists. Posting a blog about it to try and stir up hate and drive comments such as “hope he gets sucked into an engine” is by far worse than someone expressing an opinion.
Indeed it was bigoted idealism displayed by an English Nationalist
This is such a daily mail example of journalism. Do better.
Mae gan lawer o feysidd awyr llw ddiamus eraill arwyddion dwyieithog. Sais ydw I a dw i’n hoffi maes awyr Caerdydd. // Many other successful airports have bilingual signs. I am English, and I like Cardiff Airport.
In international airports around the world use English as it is the contemporary lingua franca. Some of the weird comments here show how unreasonable people who support this level of Welsh language insertion are.
Good quality Sais Gammon harrumphing here. Using the Welsh language in Wales! How rude! Whatever next? Shouldn’t be allowed! Stamp it out!!!
This airport has cost public money to the tune of over two hundred million pounds forecast to lose five million pounds every year .
And serves a small part of Wales
When desperate public services are staved of finance
It should be sold or closed down.
It’s just another Senedd waste of public money
From the article: “The airport generates over £240m GVA to the Welsh economy, annually”.
“And serves a small part of Wales”
Cardiff airport is the closest international airport for about 80% of the population of Cymru who live in an area greater than that of half of the country.
So it looks like you made an “Honest” mistake due perhaps to a lack of awareness of Cymru’s geography and where it’s people live.
Jesus!!! Such people p**s me off. I am a Polish and we also have been occupied and other nations prohibed us to use our language, that’s why I can understand a Welsh perspective and I support using a Welsh language (especially it is beautiful language with long inheritance) and if someone says using Welsh language is odd makes me feel like saying using Polish language is odd, if we connect a historical perspective of our nations, this person has a mentality of occupier or colonialist…
Just asked Ian via private message why he felt so angry about a language. He couldn’t really give me an answer. He did get annoyed when I said it was ok if he didnt want to tell me, or simply didn’t know why. I just wondered why so many people get so upset about it?