tiger8
The only thing I would add is apparently the airport made more off the recent A318 maintenance in 2 months than some of these so called hangar investors were willing to pay for rent in a 2 year period. So in that regard I applaud the airport as it is can no longer act as a charity.
The airport has effectively been subsidising Ryanair for years.
The business is on its arse and needs someone to show some confidence in the long term future of the airport. If someone wants to set up a business and commits to a long lease, it is normal for a lease free period to be included to bring business in. If a company is prepared to commit to a 10 year lease it would send a powerful signal that at least one company believes PIK is there for the long haul. IMHO it is all about making the place look "lived in"; generating some activity that would act as a stimulus for others to show some interest.
The airport
will not survive on 2 month ad hoc leases from BA. It certainly does nothing for the local economy! The engineers are brought down from GLA.
dc9, that sounds intriguing. Got any more info??