There was a short time in the 1980s that MME had one more schedule departure a day than NEW. Postcard will vouch for that. However the ratio of charters was 4:1 in NEW's favour. The MME management did nothing until it was too late.
One MME MD is on record as saying that he would never allow locos to use MME as they were a flash in the pan.
Then the council gift the airport to a property developer and are surprised that said company run the business down almost to extinction.
With that sort of management the present situation is inevitable. I feel for the staff who must feel that they are banging their heads against a brick wall.