Bristol Airport is taking legal action against the Welsh Government
The letter comes in response to news that the cost for the state funding of Cardiff Airport is set to increase to £286 per household.
In a 'scathing letter' to Welsh Government Minister Rebecca Evans MS, Bristol Airport highlighted how the proposed subsidy would exceed Cardiff Airport's current annual turnover.
Bristol Airport said the funding over the 10-year period has potential to distort competition, and risks reducing air travel choice for customers, including those living in South Wales.
Bristol Airport is taking legal action against the Welsh Government (Image: NQ) Dave Lees, Chief Executive Officer at Bristol Airport, raised concern over Welsh Government's refusal to detail sufficient information on the public subsidy and how it will be spent.
Mr Lees said: 'We have publicly called for details to be urgently made available on the proposed subsidy including the benefits it will deliver, what alternatives have been considered, how the impacts have been assessed, in the context of the significant additional cost burden to the taxpayer in Wales.
'There have been repeated attempts by Members of the Senedd and others to seek further detail on how Welsh Government intends to respond to the concerns raised in the CMA assessment has also been unsuccessful, resulting in a serious lack of transparency around this unprecedented subsidy in UK aviation, which is being funded at great expense by the taxpayer.
'It is therefore appropriate for our legal team to make a formal pre-application request to the Welsh Government for more detailed information on the proposed subsidy, as there has been insufficient detail published or shared to date to fully understand how the subsidy will be used.'
The chief executive of Regional & City Airports, which is responsible for Bournemouth and Exeter, also criticised Welsh Government's plans.
Andrew Bell said it: 'raises fundamental questions about fairness, transparency, and the strategic direction of regional aviation policy in the UK.'
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