There is a big difference between stating facts and moaning Canberra. I see you are in Southampton however I still have a house in west Norfolk.
I also had an airstrip next to a house I owned near Acle for many years and my use of the NWI goes back decades.
When in the UK I still call in to collect arriving friends.
I think that qualifies me to comment.
I see firsthand what a shabby run down airport Norwich has become since privatisation.
Where does the £2.5 million extracted every year from passengers go?
Certainly not in making it a more pleasant and comfortable facility.
In my opinion the owners see the place as a property investment not a transport facility in much the same way as the train operating companies extract as much money as they can from the travelling public.
The Eastern Daily Press has run the following story today.
Flights from Norwich to Durham Tees Valley have been axed – less than three months after they were reintroduced.
Scottish airline Loganair said the route, which had an onwards connection to Aberdeen, had performed below expectations and had shown no signs of improving.
The last flight will be on January 7 and passengers who have already made bookings between Durham and Norwich will be able to get a full refund, said Loganair.
Kay Ryan, Loganair commercial director, said: “Unfortunately the Norwich – Durham route wasn’t performing in line with expectations with no signs of improving, so we’ve taken the decision to withdraw the service from January 7.
“Regardless, as the airport’s lead operator, connectivity from Norwich remains a key priority for us.”
A spokesman added the firm’s sister-company BMI Regional would continue to run a service to Aberdeen.
Loganair brought the six-days-a-week flight, which offered an onward connection to Aberdeen, back on October 15 with the aim of serving the energy industry – which has hubs in East Anglia and Scotland.
At the time of the announcement in August Loganair’s managing director Jonathan Hinkles hailed the route as an “important milestone” for the airline.
A spokesman for Norwich Airport said: “As Loganair were unable to provide warning of their decision to cancel the Durham flights we are not in a position to speculate about their reasoning for doing so.
“As ever, however, our first thoughts are for any passengers who may have relied on the service, because we know how important services linking Norwich to other parts of the country are to local businesses and the regional economy.
“This decision is very much at odds with the big picture at Norwich Airport. Even if the Loganair cancellations were taken into account passenger numbers continue to rise year-on-year, with an additional 15,000 travellers passing through the facility in 2017 and several initiatives to introduce new routes in 2018 already well under way.”
Loganair still offers flights to Edinburgh, Manchester and Jersey from Norwich, where it employs 25 staff including pilots, cabin crew and engineers.
Norwich Airport revealed its 30-year masterplan in July which sets out a vision to increase passenger numbers to more than one million by 2045 and forge international links.
Passenger numbers may be rising but they have a long way to go to reach 773,000 which was the figure for 2007. Once the development fee was introduced the numbers dropped.
Scheduled traffic has declined over the years and movements have only increased for gas platform helicopters. Part of the reason for this was the poaching of the North Denes heliport traffic at Great Yarmouth which has now closed.
The offshore helicopter traffic is propping up the movements via Aberdeen and Schipol.
The suggestion that they will ever reach a million is pie in the sky.