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Old 23rd Mar 2023, 17:15
  #952 (permalink)  
davidjohnson6
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
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I thought Dinard CCI / local Govt decided that it wasn't worth subsidising the airport to the level required to retain Ryanair, and made many of the airport staff redundant. St Malo is just across the harbour and has regular and very large ferries to Portsmouth and Poole - the local council decided this was a better way to attract UK-resident tourists
Last summer, the doors of Dinard's terminal were locked and the lights turned off - it felt very much like a general aviation aerodrome rather than an airport. The only "scheduled" flights to Deauville + Geneva that took place were classed as private flights. Deauville, relatively nearby, is about to open a brand new arrivals terminal - the new departures section will (I think) open in 2024. Brest, Rennes and Caen nearby are all properly open, fully functioning and equipped to handle passenger flights from the UK. Even Cherbourg airport (at a push) currently has the ability to handle an A320/B737 as long as it's not when the UK ferry is in port.
St Malo is a beautiful town, while Dinard across the harbour has a wonderful beach - both are lovely to visit in summer. I would happily buy a ticket from London to Dinard... but will Dinard's terminal really be re-opened and staff hired along with all the formalities needed for a Schengen border for a handful of prop flights to Southend ?!?!

Separately - the Echo article quotes Nigel Mayes as saying Rennes no longer has service to London. Easyjet flying from Gatwick may have a different opinion.
The Echo article makes me think somebody at SEN has had an idea, and decided the first thing to do is tell the news media all about it before checking whether the idea is feasible

Last edited by davidjohnson6; 23rd Mar 2023 at 19:17.
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