New group takes over operation of struggling airport

A new group has taken over the operation of a struggling airport after what were described as high-level talks.

Swansea Airport Stakeholders Alliance is running the airport on a temporary basis after the previous leaseholder agreed to relinquish its lease.

The airport will continue to operate, and the council, who owns the site, said it would soon start a process to find a long-term tenant.

Council leader Rob Stewart said: “We’re delighted to have the alliance in place as a temporary new leaseholder. They’ve started running the airport and its members are eager to make a success of it.”

Council joint deputy leader David Hopkins said: “We’ll start to look for a long-term solution through a competitive tender process. The alliance will have the opportunity, with others, to bid in that process. There’ll be opportunities for future investment in Swansea Airport.”

The council said a range of issues with the previous tenant had arisen over recent years, resulting in the existing lease being brought to an end. It did not envisage any additional cost to the taxpayer and said the airport would remain open.

Intensive work

Bob Oliver, chairman of the alliance, said: “Today marks the culmination of three years of intensive work by the alliance. I pay tribute to the skill and professionalism of alliance members, of our stakeholders and of the council, who have put their faith in us to secure a brighter future for the airport.

“Our first task is to take stock of what we have inherited and then begin to bring the airport back to life – to make it a welcoming place to visit, to start delivering social, environmental and economic benefits to the council and the people of Swansea and to make it a facility we can all be proud of.”

Roy Thomas, director of former leaseholder, Swansea Airport Ltd, has previously said that improvements were being made and that he had subsidised the airport for many years.

In January last year Swansea Airport Ltd proposed a commercial Swansea to Exeter service but it didn’t come to fruition. Mr Thomas has also indicated that he would apply for a lease when the council’s search for a long-term tenant got under way.

Air defence

Swansea Airport originally formed part of Fairwood Common and was transferred to Swansea Council’s predecessor in 1938. It was requisitioned during the Second World War for use as an air defence airfield, and then returned to civilian use. It has two runways and is used by private pilots, two flying schools and a skydiving company. A cafe reopened there earlier this year.

The airport’s licence with regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has been suspended for more than a year. A CAA spokesman said the licence has now been formally revoked but that this didn’t affect the aviation activities taking place there. He added that it would continue to engage with the council and any new leaseholder.