this thread appears to be moving more and more towards fantasy with every post. It would appear that desperation to keep a failing airport open has clouded most posters minds.
Lets all have a reality check here
epetition - complete fantasy in itself its not 100,000 signatures the airport needs but passengers wanting to use the airport and the evidence is they don't. Even the wording of the actual petition is complete fantasy.
Government intervention - lets get a grip folks no Tory government is going to take over a failing regional airport let alone this government. This current Government is probably the most anti aviation government that this country has ever seen. The best way to support regional airports is to scrap APD.
Regional hub - are we having a complete laugh here, I had to read the comment twice just to make sure I was not day dreaming.
Durham Tees Valley can not be a viable airport alongside Newcastle or Leeds simply due to the fact that the local population simply don't want to use the airport. This fact apart the region is not big enough to support three airports either is Geography or population. Due to its location sandwiched between its two larger competitors DTVs was always going to be the looser.