It`s hard to ignore the fact that the money City of Derry gets pumped into it from two governments is the only reason it is still there.
On the contrary, the history of the airport would reveal a reluctance of the two governments to contribute anything, particularly our own government in Belfast. And why the Dublin government, who recieve nothing of the airport passenger tax, should be expected to contribute at all is beyond me.
LDY had ask for £20 million to extend the runway and build a larger terminal. They were offered £5 million for the runway only and only after Dublin had offered the other £5 million.
Now another request has been refused while announcing £100 million for 3 stadia in Belfast. Is it any wonder the airport is stunted?
And before you ask why it should receive anything I would point out that BFS started out as a government owned facility. The rate payers of Derry City Council have forked out somewhere in the region of £70 million to develop this facility. You might be forgiven for thinking that central government could have pulled its weight, but no chance of that given the airport's location far from Belfast.