It is a very very strange decision by baby to chop an aircraft from CWL to start a BHD operation. BHD is an exceptionally difficult place for a 737 operator to utilise even on short domestic sectors for which the 733 is totally unsuited in this day and age. FR struggled to make the STN route work financially that's why it is no longer there. The dispute with the airport over runway length was, as is so often true with MOL, smoke and mirrors. The BHD base didn't bring in the coin. For the 733 BHD offers no routes longer than domestics, something Ryanair ultimately couldn't live with, then you're competing with Fly Be with a much more regular schedule and more suitable aircraft and costs for the routes oh and you're also competing with big brothers LHR service.
CWL has always provided enough cash on the med routes to keep baby ticking over. Possibly the fact that each CWL aircraft only produces 6 sectors and requires three crews a day has just swung the economics away from the second aircraft as the lack of utilisation did for the third last year.
BUT
As I have said many times and I will say it again. Baby being at CWL is not preventing other operators coming in. Throwing Baby out will not result in a Jet 2 base the same afternoon. Jet 2 are not there because they don't want to be. If they wanted to be the fact baby has one aircraft based there will not stop them or anyone else. No one is scared of bmi baby, MOL and Stelios do not quake at thought of competing with them. The problem is that airline managers and accountants say "there's no money there" and baby winding down is only, in their minds, proving them right ! Strangely if Baby was doing very well with a five aircraft base you would be more likely to see other airlines there trying to nick that business !
I just feel sorry for those at the sharp end who will now face yet another Christmas of uncertainty about their own future ! Good luck to all of you and I hope it works out.