TimmyW, we are in the worst economic crisis for 100 years. Most regional airports are seeing significant declines in passenger numbers, with very few new routes or bases. The CAA forecasts that passenger numbers across the UK will double in the next 20 years. If the forecasts are anywhere near accurate, there will be lots of new routes to be picked up in the future. But the economy will have to improve first.
DSA still has higher passenger numbers than some other, more established, regional airports. For an airport that has only been 8 years, the numbers are not something to worry about. It took regional airports decades to get the passenger numbers they have. Humberside has a third of DSA's passengers with just 2 routes, yet survives.
Peel have very deep pockets, and have invested a lot into DSA. It's unlikely they are going to walk away any time soon.