Coventry airport planning decision welcomed by airport owners
11.04.06
Coventry Airport bosses say that the government's approval of their temporary passenger terminal is good news for the future of the facility.
Complaints about the building were launched by Warwick District Council on the day it first opened to the public, in March 2004. But the two-year dispute finally come to an end last week after airport bosses, council chiefs and residents received a letter from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister saying the terminal could stay.
The current terminal, a converted cargo shed, has already serviced 1.2 million passengers. But the airport is also hoping to build a modern permanent facility capable of taking 2 million people a year, and a public inquiry is under way to debate that. A verdict is expected on this second inquiry in the next 12 months, but the signs are good.
In the meantime, Bill Savage, chairman of Coventry Airport, said the decision to rubber-stamp the temporary terminal safeguarded the future of the airport. He said: 'The government has supported our case to become a volume passenger airport. This decision supports the airport and it's very good news for more than 400 people who work here, and the passengers who use the facility.'
'Clearly we have a bigger goal - the permanent terminal - but the fact the government accepts Coventry Airport has a role to play is very important and excellent news for us.'
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