HW&U:
what are they doing right that we are not?
So many people on this thread seem to start from the assumption that the problem for Airport A is that Airport A's management are doing something wrong. The reality is, for a country with the economy in the state it's in, and especially for a place like Tees-side which used to be the bastion of UK heavy industry, there simply AREN'T ENOUGH PASSENGERS. In the past (before Peel came on the scene), local authorities had the resources to own and support airports. But now they don't so if they don't perform, they close. So it's not a question of what they are or aren't doing right, it's a question of what do you do if you're the owner of a business that has to make a profit or it goes bust. So it's not about the business model, it's about the amount of business.
the basic infrastucture of the airport has gone now and I fear there is no way back
The problem with airports is that it's not possible to abandon the "basic infrastucture of the airport" - ATC, fire, security, ops, they all have to be there if you want commercial traffic, and if you only have a little of that, your fixed costs don't get covered.
NS