Senior officials at Swansea Council will discuss a potential new lease with the operator of Swansea Airport, which said this week on social media that passenger services between the city and Exeter would start at the end of March. There has been opposition to a renewal of Swansea Airport Ltd's lease, and this was voiced at a meeting on January 19 where the council's cabinet decided behind closed doors to negotiate a new one with the company.
Some of the discussions surrounding the airport were held in open session, and the council went on to confirm the decision just a few hours later. The facility at Fairwood Common, Gower, is owned by the council, but it doesn't want to run it on cost and environmental grounds. The airport was leased out in 1991, with Swansea Airport Ltd taking it over around 10 years later. The lease expired in 2016 but the existing arrangements have continued.
There have been many complaints about the airport, a report before cabinet said, and two groups have come forward with proposals to run it. But the council said Swansea Airport Ltd had significant legal rights to have sought a renewal. You can get more Swansea news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
