Ah Highwideandugly, I had not considered the political aspect, obviously Cobham will be propping up the bill via the MOD as they have a quiet and free reign into the North Sea as and when required. It makes sense why the place is still open, and with Peel playing the long game for housing when Cobham pull out it makes even more sense. After all, how much is the bill for Air Traffic Services? Peel must be expecting a huge profit in the next decade, after all they have already stated their is a pull out clause in 5 years, but I imagine a few thousand acre brownfield site in a prime location is worth a pretty penny.
CO, I have no idea where your unfounded belief of the future of the airport comes from, maybe DTFT and Skydive make a few pennies, but that's about it. I think your wishes are based in nostalgia, maybe the airport never made a profit, after all, for at least the last 20 years it has been in decline generally. I wish you best of luck escaping the psychosis that envelops your thinking.