So what should the Welsh government be doing?
The airport was failing as a private enterprise, hence why they stepped in.
They could offer cheap rates to stimulate some activity, or do a Southend and pay an airline to operate routes for a summer, as they did with Flybe. But look where Southend are now, losing a lot more money then they ever were.
Equally, what happens when the incentives stop? Airlines like Ryanair are incredibly flexible so they'll just up and move to where they can get better yields.
I don't know what the answer is, tbh.