Originally Posted by
willy wombat
in the current climate it's easy to close runways but very difficult to build new ones.
Its not just runways that are hard to build... passenger terminals are hard to build too, and that's the dilemma. If you close the terminal and kick ryanair out, then you're done as a passenger airport, with no easy way back. You need to look at the future, and anticipate what the needs might be 5-10 years down the line - is there a possibility that you might be able to attract more flights and eventually turn a profit from passenger ops?
Flybe have hinted in the past they'd consider PIK-LHR if a 3rd runway ever gets built. I'm sure the airport is also in talks with a few other airlines which might decide to take a chance on launching flights from there, plus there's always the possibility that GLA and EDI might reach capacity, causing flights to spill over to PIK.
There's always a possibility of growth in passenger traffic, depending on how the market pans out... so closing the door to it completely is a big risk.
Plus... we dont know that the passenger side does in fact lose money. They've kept it going for a long time... so maybe the rumours on here if it being a money pit are exaggerated?