Dreamers
It's an interesting response, thank you for the detail.
Look, for any proposition there'll be people who take different points of view with differing optimism and pessimism.
Just to make it clear, my point about forgetting about NCL and LBA is this: They both serve city areas which due to their economies will of course provide more demand and this is reflected in their destinations and route frequencies. And quite rightly so.
I'm arguing for a level of service from MME which will help boost the area economically as well as providing a service to the people of Teesside and the wider region. I note andrewmcharlton resides in Newcastle so I wouldn't expect him to consider the facility the airport could provide to people in the Teesside area as a priority. But in my opinion, the "second rate" airport you mention is therefore having a detrimental effect on how people within and maybe outside of the north east view the economical potential of the area: and that's unacceptable and a cause for change. If the airport closes, how negative would the effect of that be on the area's economy?
Of course I have every idea of the level of investment that DHL have invested in EMA, but in order for MME to succeed there surely needs to be a fighting spirit and an innovative outlook to win new business. This is perhaps what people expect and are calling for on this forum, which whether it's the place to do it or not, shows the sentiment nonetheless.
It's probably the case that Peel just aren't good at running airports. Apart from LPL, the success of which is probably driven by easyJet and Ryanair, the state of Doncaster, DTVA and Sheffield City before them, do not provide a good track record. MME cannot afford to have half-bothered management and by re-commiting themselves to the airport when a buyer could not be found, Peel now need to step up and start delivering.