Airport covered again today on Mark Patterson show on BBC Radio Foyle. He had the local head of Chamber of Commerce on the show.
Taken from the show Facebook page, here are what are considered the main pros/cons of the airport.
https://www.facebook.com/markpattersonshow/?fref=ts
City of Derry Airport - Keep It? Or Drop It?
We've looked at this many times. Latest figures: City of Derry Airport cost the rate payer £3.4 million this past year. Let's keep this simple:
Arguments For City of Derry Airport
~ For Council, the airport remains "a key element of the infrastructural development for the North West region"
~ It directly employees 114 staff
~ Council say it generates 3 times the revenue that is spent on it. They say that in 2012 "the Gross Value Added to the local economy was £7million"
~ In 2010 the Council 'subvention' was £4.5 million. So that figure has fallen by £1million+
~ 287,000 people used the airport in 2015
~ Might City-wing to Dublin improve things?
Fact: Of the Council £3.4 million, £2.1 million is to run the airport, £1.3m is to repay capital loans
Arguments Against City of Derry Airport
~ The public money. £3.4 million in an Council area this size is massive
~ The Airport just doesn't seem to have 'taken 'off' anything like Antrim and George Best have done in private hands
~ The private sector have always seemed uninterested in buying City of Derry Airport
~ Destinations are limited to say the least
~ User numbers. Down 18.8% last year to just over 284,000.
~ Ryanair seem to have called the shots down the years. Has their clout been good for Derry?
~ Taxis aside, infrastructure to and from the airport is pretty non-existent. The train passes under the flight path - you can actually see trains go by from the terminal - but there's no rail station
Over to you ... [1.40]
All week we've been talking about City of Derry airport, the story has now reached over 10,000 of you here on our FB. To recap:
~ there is a possibility of CityWing bringing back a Dublin flight
~ £3.4 million of rates is still being spent as an annual 'subvention' to keep the airport running and pay off old debt
~ Newquay Airport. Their Chairman told me that airport is roughly the same size as ours. They also get 7 figure civic funding. He said it's a lifeline to a part of Cornwall that could otherwise be a transport backwater.
Today, let's hear a local business perspective. Gavin Killeen is the President of the Londonderry Chamber of Commerce. Today, his perspective on the future of the airport. [2.00]