We have been sent a report detailing how business and employment opportunities are being missed because of delays in implementing plans for the development of Pembrey West Wales Airport .
It is very important to recognise that the development of the airport will provide a catalyst for economic development in the surrounding region. It offers good prospects to help growth not only by attracting companies to base themselves at the airport, but also making the surrounding area more attractive for businesses and for tourists. It is not a competitor for Cardiff and it does not suffer any of the environmental restrictions associated with Swansea.
In particular, the airport is being held back because:
- The 7ft metal fence at the end of Runway 04 has not been removed
- Funds to complete the surfacing of the extension of the runway have not been made available
- The parking area for business jets needs to be improved
- New facilities are required to handle horses competing at the new Ffos Las Racecourse
Click here to read this report in full.
Comments
Bloody typical! What a missed opportunity. Get on with it. This can be part of a commuter intra-national air service, just like they do so successfully in our neighbouring Celtic countries. And stuff any primordial greens. They never complain about developments in Bristol and Manchester airports; only here.
Swansea airport’s location has held back the city’s development for decades. The ideal site for an airport for Swansea was the old Velindre site to the north of the city, right by the M4.
But this was never going to happen because powerful interests in Cardiff do not want competition to their own – wrongly located and failing – airport.
Pembrey will experience the same thing – nothing that might challenge the interests of Cardiff will be tolerated in modern Wales.
It must be frustrating for Captain Winston Thomas – but the way it looked on a recent BBC documentary Pembrey is just a “lifestyle” airport – a hobby for its owner .
There’s nothing wrong with that of course – but Wales will never have a proper air transport infrastructure until it stops being the poorest country in the UK.
Wales is poor because it’s been turned into a dependant state over the years by the Labour Party and latterly the Labour Government. Most people here live on state benefits or work in non-wealth creating jobs in the state sector.
A huge culture shift is necessary to make Wales a vibrant economy. Wales has to ditch socialism. Has to ditch the Welsh language (another major drag factor on its perception beyond its borders) and has to embrace free enterprise.
Until – and unless- that happens there just won’t be enough people who want to fly, who can afford to fly and who need to fly to make airports like Pembrey a viable proposition and to make Wales a nation that can stand on its own feet and earn its living in the world. .