Originally Posted by
ScotsSLF
Can you get your facts right please? PIK's terminal is not empty merely quiet. It is untrue that there are no flights, there's still a PAX schedule and still 500k PAX + per annum. Also, PIK has made a profit for two years' running albeit relying on the non PAX side of the operation. I don't disagree that the PAX model at PIK is questionable but the viability as a profitable airfield operation is sound as per the recent financial results. Let's just get the facts as right as possible as there is far too much disinformation out there.
Actually the passenger operation at PIK is a loss leader, it's commercially non viable run from a huge 1965 terminal built for long haul which is slowly falling down. On it's own, that should doom the airfield. However they do have a load of cargo, maintenance, training and military which brings in real revenue as opposed to Ryanair which doesn't. One of the other rationales for losing money on Ryanair is it helps to secure the 6 hangar bays Prestwick Aircraft Maintenance operate for Ryanair. The key difference is DSA is mainly about TUI whereas PIK might even be better off without Ryanair as they could stop spaffing money on the terminal building. There will never be an ROI to make it any better.