Fairwood Airport

Fairwood Airport has been the subject of much controversy over recent years. From 2000 onwards, Air Wales began operating flights to Dublin, Belgium, and France, however in 2004 the company cancelled all routes out of Swansea due to lack of interest. After concentrating on routes from Cardiff Airport, Air Wales eventually ceased to operate in April 2006. This resulted in a sigh of relief being breathed by campaigners such as SANE (Swansea Airport No Expansion) who over the years have fought against the potential expansion, citing a variety of reasons namely the increase in flights and the funding that would need to be obtained from council taxes. At the time of writing, Swansea Airport Ltd. intends to retain the airport for only general aviation, police helicopter, and Air Ambulance Services, however for how long this will be the case remains to be seen. Indeed the previous cessation of expansion plans can be seen to be primarily due to the financial hardship encountered by Air Wales, which leads us to question what might happen if another potential airline were to utilise the airport and propose further expansion. This may appear a rather stretched hypothesis, but I feel it is worth considering the possibility of future proposals and likewise address the implications that such an expansion of the airport could have. In light of this, the following is a brief summary of the main arguments put forward by campaigners such as SANE regarding Fairwood Airport:

Possible implications of expansion:

• The potential number of flights each day could far exceed what is currently in place.
• Any expansion would undoubtedly result in larger aircraft being able to use the airport, therefore resulting in an increased level of noise pollution for the surrounding area. This can be seen to include not only Fairwood and the Gower region, but also areas such as Killay, Three Crosses, Dunvant, and further afield.
• The improvements would have to depend on increased council taxes.
• The potential pollution problems could result in damaging air quality.
• The roads surrounding Fairwood would need to be altered in accordance with the increased demand. The current single-lane infrastructure would not be able to cope with the influx of traffic that could be anticipated. This would result in the roads encroaching into the common land. Indeed traffic problems can be furthered to Killay, Sketty, and Three Crosses, which already struggle with traffic at most times of the day.
• The increase in noise pollution and the potential 'eyesore' of the airport could act to the detriment of Gower as a tourist destination, therefore directly affecting the economy of the region.
• Finally, the environmental implications are arguably the pivotal section of the argument against any expansion. Gower is not just a tourist destination, nor attractive region, but is also habitat to myriad species, many of which depend on the delicate environment surrounding the airport, such as the common land and woodland - areas that would have to be cleared to make way for any development.

As it stands, there are few reports concerning any future plans for the airport, if anyone has any further knowledge or information, please feel free to contribute.