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Swansea Airport: Spring hope for new passenger flights

Nigel Davies/Geograph Swansea airportNigel Davies/Geograph
The airport was originally opened as an airbase in 1941 during World War Two.

The first passenger flights from Swansea Airport in almost 20 years could take off this spring.

The airport operator has announced that scheduled services between Swansea and Exeter are set to return in March.

It hopes it will mark the start of a long-term regeneration plan for the Gower site, which has not seen scheduled flights since 2004.

Swansea council - which owns the site - has said it will meet the airport operator to discuss a new lease.

The airport ceased all operations in 2006, but Swansea Airport Ltd announced on social media this week that it plans to resume services to Devon.

It has not disclosed the airline operator or aircraft type to be used on the route.

Air Wales was the last scheduled operator based at the airport but pulled out in 2004, before ceasing all operations two years later.

Swansea councillor Chris Evans described the airport at Fairwood Common, which originally opened as an airbase in 1941 during World War Two, as in a "very, very sorry state".

Mother Teresa arriving at Swansea Airport in 1996
Mother Teresa arrived in Wales at Swansea Airport in 1996

However Swansea Airport Ltd said in its statement: "The end of March will see the start of services between Exeter and Swansea, joining the airport with Exeter provides interchange access to airports across the UK as well as the Channel Islands, Ireland and Spain.

"This is the first step in a long planned improvement plan for the airport which will see further infrastructure and services returning to the airport over the year."

Swansea council has since agreed to negotiate a new lease with the company, which expired in 2016, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

The Civil Aviation Authority suspended the airport's licence in 2019 over a series of safety concerns but has since reinstated it. The council said the current operator had legal rights to a renewal.

(C) British Broadcasting Corporation Location map(C) British Broadcasting Corporation

Swansea Airport Ltd director Roy Thomas welcomed the council's decision and was keeping his "fingers crossed" for the new flights between Swansea and Exeter.

He said: "Tremendous work has been done in the last three years.

"Hopefully we've got a new way forward."

Speaking after the meeting, councillor David Hopkins said: "The facility still requires ongoing investment by the tenant in order to attract or retain new operators and customers, and we will expect investment to continue."