Originally Posted by
PDXCWL45
With Ryanair the airport would be earning revenue off the passenger boost in the shops eateries and car parking.
Not sure how much revenue can be gained to offset the cost of Ryanair presumably wanting to operate for nothing and have concessions on top. The catch-22 situation of running a small regional airport these days. I imagine the airport would deem it appropriate to stipulate a minimum passenger throughput to sustain the operation at a hugely reduced rate, but then would invariably mean the airline would have to offer a significant number of seats at a much reduced cost to enable the passenger numbers to be met. Simply unsustainable for both parties. This is the reason airports either introduce a ‘pax tax’ (MME past) or decide to forego low-cost airlines altogether as is the case at HUY. Also the reason airlines focus on the larger hubs where there is the critical mass - both from the much larger catchment areas, and from the higher airline interest - to absorb the costs and ultimately reduce the risk.