You're right - up to a point. The airport loses over £1/2m per annum - we've never hidden the fact. Rental income from Stobart and WAD being here will be about £1m. We'll also have increased revenue from the limited but incremental pax operations we will have on top of the current 23,000ATMs and yes, we will be pursuing air freight business very hard. And we'll get some more from the car parks, and other terminal facilities.
If the planning goes through, we will not be allowed NOT to improve the aviation facilities and do the Stobart etc parts by themselves. And typically, planning consent has a 3 year time on it - that's three years to START the consented development. We won't take three years as we must move Stobarts here in 2009 (their current lease expires then) and our proposal is to start the runway, new AGL, ILS etc in month 7 from the start. We've spent about £1m on the whole planning process so far - if we get consent, then not doing any part of it is unthinkable.
In 2005, 118,000 people drove from our catchment area to MAN and NCL in order to fly to London, about half of them to onward connect. About 100,000 take the train to London. More by car and coach. We have no illusions about numbers, but there is demand. And who knows - a Stobart branded joint venture operation? What other airline has a link to a signed up fan club of 30,000 - all of whom I'm sure would long to fly, even just once, in a Stobart branded aircraft!