Beafer, I haven't bothered reading the letters in the local rag but it's quite clear from what you've written here, you really don't have a fecking clue about business.
The councils sold the airport at a knock down price because it needed a shed load of cash to keep it open. The councils accepted the offer from Peel. If there were other offered on the table, I'm sure they will have been looked at.
If the councils had not sold the airport to someone willing to put money in to keep it open, it would have closed a long time ago. Quite simply, the councils could not afford the cash input needed to keep the place running.
Peel have suffered the losses over the past 10 years. The councils could not sustain the losses.
Peel have delivered in their promise in that including the losses have given over £20m. Works have been completed on items airside that have been needed just to keep the airport compliant with CAA regulations.
Peel now need to look to the future and decide what can be done to ensure the airport survives. This is what the Master Plan is all about.
You talk about the councils carrying out compulsory purchases. If they did, which council(s) could afford to run the airport. As I see it, with all the cuts to council budgets, none of them could afford to prop up the airport and keep it open.
The councils sold it exactly for that reason. They did not invest when they had it and as a result sold the place in a dilapidated state.
There will be ongoing expenditure of high value just to keep the infrastructure compliant. Peel need to look at ways to raise the capital needed. Selling/using the land around it for other commercial needs which can provide an income to subsidise the airport is the way forward.
All other airport are either doing the same or are now looking at using surplus land to subsidise their airport operation.
Check out the financial stats of the other airports in the region. They all made a loss. One made a loss greater than DTVA!
So feel free to bang on about ****e you don't have a clue about, continue to show your complete lack of business sense and your ability to believe in everything you read and hear from other who have about as much business acumen as a dishcloth.