I can't believe the local authorities that still own a share in the airport (don't they?) can just sit back and let this happen. They must be applying some pressure on Peel/VAS to do something.
The manangement are always blaming the 'difficult time' in aviation, but I don't see another airport in whole country that has had such a shocking decline in passenger numbers. They must bear some responsibility.
As an example of poor management, there are some 1 off holidays with Omega holidays been arranged, but any mention of the them on the airport's website - not a thing, not even a press release. And if you go to the Airlines and Tour Operators list on the website, it still lists Airtours, Thomas Cook and Direct holidays which haven't flown from here for over a year, and under Thomson and First choice no mention of Tenerife and Sharm El Sheik.
To say at this stage of the year that there will be no new routes this year just shows that there is nothing in the pipeline at all, so what are the development/marketing teams doing?
Of course passenger numbers in 2011 will be even less than 2010, with the loss of Ryanair and Aer Lingus
I know we have the winter Thomson flights which is a good start, but if Thomson think there is a demand in winter for flights, why not a demand in summer? Even if it is just to Alicante, Tenerife etc...
Very sad state of affairs and the £6 fee just will not help, I hope the management see this and reverse a very poor decision.