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Thomson and First Choice have confirmed additional flights to Tenerife and Alicante from Cardiff Airport this winter.

The added services which start in November 2013 from Cardiff Airport’s largest flight provider also allow for greater flexibility in holiday durations.

The additional flights equate to an increase of 17% on operations in winter 2012.

The move to add additional capacity from Cardiff is part of the UK’s largest tour operator’s strategy to ensure customers across the UK can fly from their local airport to holiday destinations.

Thomson and First Choice will also be the only carrier flying customers to Antalya, Bodrum, Corfu, Kefalonia, Faro, Gran Canaria and Sharm El Sheikh from Cardiff.

Paul Cooper , airport negotiations manager for Thomson and First Choice, said:“Adding these new durations and additional flights from Cardiff Airport demonstrates our commitment to the airport and our Welsh customer base.

"Following the success of similar routes across a number of regional airports, we know that the demand is there.

“Expanding access to our portfolio of destinations and hotels is a key part of our overall strategy and we hope that this move will enhance the holiday experience for our customers.”

Cardiff airport’s chief executive Jon Horne said: “We are delighted that Thomson and First Choice have chosen to expand their programme at Cardiff Airport and commit to serving routes which we know are hugely popular with Welsh holiday makers.

“This announcement is the next step in increasing capacity and the choice of flights available from Cardiff and we will continue working to convince airlines of the great opportunities that exist in serving Wales.”

Speaking at a conference on the future of Cardiff Airport last night Mr Horne said it would be a long-term project to turn around the fortunes of the airport, which was acquired by the Welsh Government for £25m in March.

He said that at this stage, while a service into a hub airport in the Middle East was still on the agenda, securing long-haul services from Cardiff to destinations such as the US while not “impossible” were “unlikely.”

He said the airport firstly had to increase its passenger numbers and its catchment area to make it more attractive to airlines.

In the short-term he said this needed to focus on “low hanging fruit” by winning back the just over one million passengers a year from South and Mid Wales using Bristol Airport each year.

On new routes he said: “There are several elements and not just winning a service but keeping it."

Citing Bristol’s failure to maintain its daily Continental service to New York Mr Horne said: “The last thing Cardiff needs is more fuel on negative perceptions.

“There are challenges ahead, but we will not shy away from them. However, we are very much open for business and our new ownership structure brings us stability for the short-term and in the long-term the base to move forward positively."

He said the airport was continuing talks with a number of airline executives with a view to investing in Cardiff, as well as those with existing operations.