As I said MME is moving forward NCL has actually gone back!
If you want to play games, NCL is an established international airport still recovering from Covid like the rest of the airport sector - look at CAA stats for evidence.
MME is an airport being developed from a very low base, so any small increase in flights has a massive impact on the stats. And if we are talking numbers, MME has fewer airline departures this week than the same week last year - another meaningless stat.
Your basic point though is right, pax number are not the be all and end all - one of the the aims is to be a Business Park with a runway in the middle to attract aviation related business and well-paid, skilled jobs - like Draken and like Willis.