...investment in LTN will drop to a mere 'care and maintenance' level
Perhaps, but no sign of this in the short or medium-term because the following work is planned, all for completion by mid-November of this year: re-development of the cargo apron to create x 2 wide-body/x 4 narrow-body stands plus for Harrods, a dedicated apron area, and a corporate terminal facility created from re-vamping Hangar 129 (completion October); re-development of the south apron to add x 2 narrow-body stands which will enable the apron to accommodate x 6 narrow-body or x 4 wide-body (A300/B767-size) aircraft (completion November); and additional airside roads to service these stands. With the additional Silverjet aircraft and routes due to come on line over the next 12 months, Luton's annual pax are virtually guaranteed to break the 10M barrier, probably by a comfortable margin. The next three of four years will (barring another 9/11 or similar event) see further significant growth, but agreed, what happens from about 2010/2012 is anyone's guess and is largely dependant on whether the Council can reach an accommodation with LLAO that will make further investment by ACDL in Luton, viable.