Originally Posted by
cavokblues
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.
Flybe were effectively paid to operate the E95 routes, Vueling had a substantial marketing budget, there is talk, although not confirmed, that QR and Qatar had various subsidies and deals. Wizz would've had some form of benefit thrown at them and no doubt so have FR.
Vueling is the telling sign that since the 10 year deal ended they have gradually reduced. One would hope that CWL could throw some money at them and FR just to get people through the door and stimulate growth. In turn there'll be beneficial income from things such as parking and retail.