This was the view of York Aviation Consultancy back in 2005 when, at the behest of the City Council, they conducted an independant assessment into the future viability of the airport
3. Is the airport financially viable?
There is little likelihood of the airport attaining financial viability in the foreseeable future under any scenario. Annual losses at the airport reached over £1.1m in 2001, reducing to £230,000 in 2003 following cost saving measures implemented by the operator. Even given the most optimistic scenarios, the airport is predicted to continue to make substantial losses for the foreseeable future.
All of the airlines consulted said that the physical limitations (principally runway length) was a fundamental impediment to commercial airline operations, with many of the commonly used regional turboprop aircraft subject to payload and range limitations. None of the airlines were considering operations in the short to medium term and all indicated that they would need powerful financial incentives to do so. All regarded the operations as high risk, particularly given the failure of the earlier scheduled services to achieve long-term viability.
Any proposal to extend the runway would result in breaches to the noise conditions and airfield safety requirements given the built up area around the airport site. There are therefore no realistic development options that could overcome the fundamental operational constraints.