After the large gains in passenger numbers over the last year maybe a bit of static growth wouldn’t be such a bad thing. While there is certainly spare capacity still in the terminal, which has been helped by the new expanded arrivals area, airport funded access to the airport whether by road or rail is appalling. Traffic congestion in the central area at times is shameful as is the overloading of the shuttle busses from the station. Yet the airport authority doesn’t seem to be prepared to do anything about it.
Airport sponsored traffic wardens who actually enforce the traffic regulations would cure overnight all the congestion caused by parked cars in the drop off zone. A few years back the airport did have its own traffic wardens who were wimps and did nothing if drivers sat in their cars. Now you can park in the drop off area and take two weeks holiday in the sun knowing that your car will be ignored.
No doubt the problem with traffic wardens from the airport’s point of view is cost but there will come a time when the airport will have to face the stark truth that they will have to spend some money and cure the problem.
When Parkway Station first opened there were 4 busses on the service, two in transit while a bus sat at each end. Now there are often only 2 busses on the route with passengers crammed in so tight that the busses can hardly get up the hill. The airport did trial a bendy bus last summer which transformed passengers experiences on the shuttle but for what ever reason an order for replacement busses never materialized.
With building work set to make the central area even smaller and more congested next year maybe zero growth would not be a bad thing for a year or two which would allow the airport to catch its breath.