Business

The past, present and future possibilities for Swansea Airport

Published

2 years ago

August 25, 2024

Richard Youle - Local Democracy Reporter

SWANSEA Airport is turning a page shortly after a bumpy period which looked like it was heading to the courtroom.

Swansea Council, which owns but doesn’t run the airport, was taking steps to end the lease held by the current operator – citing a “range of issues” – when it announced at the beginning of August that the operator had agreed to relinquish it. A group representing users of the 450-acre Gower site is to take it over on a temporary basis.

Although court action was avoided there has been frustration on many sides – and in some cases still is – and a question mark lingers over the future of staff who work there currently.

Equally several people who have spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service have expressed their wish to look ahead and maximise what the Fairwood Common facility has to offer.

There aren’t many airports where pilots can soar above an area of outstanding natural beauty in largely unrestricted airspace surrounded on three sides by a coastline like Gower’s. The majority of aircraft which took part in last month’s Wales National Airshow refuelled there, and on the morning of August 23 six tradesmen were ordering breakfast at the reopened airport cafe.

Thousands of people will have fond memories of flights over the Bristol Channel or learning to fly in gliders as air cadets. Gower councillor Richard Lewis recalled arranging a half-term flight many years ago to Swansea from Taunton, Somerset, where he was at school at the time.

“There was a rail strike, so I organised the flight,” he said. “There was me and eight of my friends from the Swansea area. It was fantastic.” In later years he and a fellow councillor flew from the airport in a Lancaster bomber, and while serving as Lord Mayor of Swansea he and his daughter Francesca were taken up in a pair of gliders. “Fabulous,” he said.

There have been attempts over the years to run commercial passenger services from Swansea Airport – most latterly by Air Wales which flew to London City, Dublin, Jersey and Amsterdam – but demand wasn’t strong enough. The current operator, Swansea Airport Ltd, whose director Roy Thomas owned and subsidised Air Wales, announced plans in January last year to start a passenger service to Exeter but they didn’t come to fruition.

Swansea Council said is predecessor council was gifted the airport site and its land in 1938 and that the airfield was run by the authority until around 35 years ago except during the Second World War. The council said it didn’t have the in-house expertise to run such a facility. “Running an airport is a specialised activity, one that’s not within the core business of a council,” said a spokesman.

According to heritage website Coflein, the airfield was used by the RAF for Hurricane, Beaufighter and Spitfire squadrons from June 1941 onwards, ceasing in this capacity three years later when it become a training base solely. The airfield was targeted by enemy bombers, said the website, with one unexploded 1,000lb device apparently remaining in-situ until 1976 when it was extracted and taken to Whiteford Point, North Gower, for detonation.

After being decommissioned by the RAF the airfield went on to be used by private pilots, flying clubs and occasional fare-paying passenger services run by Cambrian Airways and, for a three-year period up to 2004, Air Wales. Wales Air Ambulance and RAF 636 air cadets glider squadron also had bases there.

The airport and its two runways are home now to two flying schools, a skydiving business and around 20 pilots, plus visitors flying in from elsewhere.

The soon-to-be-installed operator, Swansea Airport Stakeholders’ Alliance, said it wanted to support current users and safely operate the airport seven days a week, talk to potential investors, and offer opportunities to the community. An alliance spokesman said such opportunities could include buildings being available for community use, work experience for people with physical or learning disabilities, an expanded catering offer, and potentially a creche serving Gower.

He said there was no plan for commercial flights, partly because the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) licence permitting these was suspended and did not transfer with the lease. The current aviation activities can take place without a CAA licence but the alliance stressed it would abide by CAA regulations.

Alliance members have visited small airports which have grown their business such as Sandown, Isle of Wight, and Sleap airfield, Shropshire. “Sandown had around the same number of movements 10 years ago when the current operator took over as we do now at Swansea – it now has almost 12 times as many,” said the alliance spokesman. “There are facilities for the local community. The place is buzzing.”

He added: “Sleap is an enormous success after being rescued. A hundred or more small aircraft go there for an event with folk bands and a barbecue. People are saying to me, ‘Why can’t we do that?’ Well, we can. We have to provide people with a reason for coming.”

The alliance has previously submitted a business plan to the council, and said it would work with the authority’s events team with a view to hosting events. But the spokesman said there would be no change of use of the land – for example house-building on part of it. “It’s legally, politically and practically impossible,” he said.

Asked about the staff currently working there, the spokesman said he sympathised with them but that he couldn’t say for sure what would happen until the alliance took over. He said there would have to be certain key roles filled such as airport manager and head of safety. He added: “We are also in the process of drawing up a revised scale of charges, but we’re not planning substantial rises.”

Phil Thomas, the airport’s current manager, said he was brought in by leaseholder Roy Thomas in March last year following a critical CAA audit which identified a “systemic failure of safety management”. Phil Thomas in turn brought in Peter Beales, operations manager, and with the small team of staff he said they’d successfully addressed all the most serious safety concerns and the majority of the less serious ones. He said the licence suspension was voluntary and that he felt the airport had done what it needed to address the outstanding matters, describing the situation as “immensely frustrating”.

Swansea Airport Ltd said the team had also brought an additional hangar into use, introduced an effective self-service fuelling system, increased the number of visiting aircraft, and made preparations for the reintroduction of grass runways. Phil Thomas said at least £20,000 had been spent on the airport’s fire appliance this year alone. He said the airport was staffed five days a week and that it operated on the other two, although pilots had to sign disclaimers on those days if they wanted to use it.

“This place has had its ups and downs,” he said. “It can be disheartening, but then you have days like the air show when 75% of the aircraft came here for fuelling and parking, and the place changes. I think all our staff are very professional – the rescue and fire-fighting guys are top drawer.”

He added: “We have worked with the alliance towards a safe transition. All we want it is a well-run airport which is operated safely, regardless of whose name is above the door.”
Operations manager Mr Beales said: “We would like to remain in-situ regardless of who’s taking it over, but we are passionate about the airport succeeding.”

Cambrian Flying Club has been based at the airport since 2009, offering flight training, hobby flying and flight experiences for the public. It has three two-seater and one four-seater aircraft. Operations manager Ben Clyde said the training provided was the “first rung in the ladder” towards a commercial pilot licence and that former trainees now flew planes for British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Ryanair, among others.

Mr Clyde said the company was started by his father and that he’d picked up the aviation bug as a boy, travelling to air shows. The 42-year-old took the family firm over around four years ago having worked as a business manager and building inspector, among other things. “We’ve currently got just under 150 students on our books,” he said. “It’s for all ages – we’ve got a 14-year-old up to people in their 90s.”

Mr Clyde said the club was part of the alliance and that he hoped the airport would become busier. Ideally he’d like to provide the next level up in commercial flight training. “I’m sure we can make a go of this,” he said.

Karl Nicholson, flight instructor at microlight outfit Gower Flight Centre, which also operates from the airport, said it had more than 100 learners on its books. “We all want a safe and thriving airport,” he said.

Carl Williams set up Skydive Swansea at the airport 18 years ago, building it up and eventually buying a plane worth more than £1 million. “It was the scariest signature I have ever put on paper,” he said. The company has since been acquired by a business called Go Skydive, with Mr Williams managing the Swansea operation on its behalf. Looking ahead to the alliance takeover, he said security of tenure was key. “Go Skydive are in a very good position going forward,” he said.

For Lisa Winter, co-owner of the airport cafe, the future feels very uncertain. She said she started working with leaseholder Roy Thomas last summer on plans to reopen the cafe, including a kitchen redesign. “We opened in May (2024), were closed for a brief period due to a plumbing problem, and re-opened again in July,” she said. “We have been building things up, and it’s starting to get really busy.”

The not-for-profit alliance said it intended to work towards reinstating the suspended CAA licence and would apply for a long-term tenancy when the council launched a competitive tender process at some point in the future.

Speaking earlier this month, Roy Thomas said he would also bid for a long-term lease when the opportunity arose. He has repeatedly said he has ploughed significant sums of money into the airport since he took it over in the early 2000s. “I took it from dereliction to a stage where it’s got a bright future,” he said. Mr Thomas said he’d never taken a salary, and he reiterated his call for an inquiry into the process which had led to the current turn of events.

Cllr Lewis said he wished the best for the airport. “I think there are opportunities,” he said. “My view is that there could be a small caravan site linked to it.”

Business

Crackwell Street closure extended again as Tenby traders voice frustration

Published

11 hours ago

June 15, 2026

Tom Sinclair

TRADERS in Tenby have been left frustrated after Pembrokeshire County Council extended the closure of Crackwell Street once again.

The street, which provides direct access to Tenby Harbour, has been closed for several months to allow scaffolding work to be carried out at Goscar House.

It had been due to reopen on Friday, but the council has now extended the closure until June 19.

Local businesses say the repeated delays have affected trade, with concerns that the ongoing closure is making access to the harbour area more difficult during a busy period for the town.

The road remains closed while scaffolding is in place at the property.

Caption:

Ongoing closure: Scaffolding remains in place on Crackwell Street, Tenby (Pic: Malcolm Richards).

Business

Celtic Freeport five-year plan puts Milford Haven at centre of green energy future

Published

13 hours ago

June 15, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Strategy promises investment, skilled jobs and new supply chains, but major barriers remain over grid connections, planning and delivery

THE CELTIC FREEPORT has published a new five-year strategy setting out how Milford Haven and Port Talbot will be used to attract major investment, create jobs and build a new low-carbon industrial economy across South and West Wales.

The plan, published today, Monday (Jun 15), says the Freeport will focus on renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, port infrastructure, floating offshore wind, hydrogen, sustainable fuels, carbon capture, cleaner steel and low-carbon logistics.

For Pembrokeshire, the strategy places Milford Haven at the heart of plans to modernise port infrastructure, support future energy projects and create new employment and training opportunities for local people.

The Celtic Freeport spans sites in Milford Haven and Port Talbot and is backed by a public-private partnership involving Associated British Ports, Camplas, Dragon LNG, Impala, Ledwood Mechanical Engineering, Neath Port Talbot Council, the Port of Milford Haven, RWE and Pembrokeshire County Council.

Over a 25-year period, the Freeport is projected to deliver more than £8bn of investment and create 11,500 jobs.

Focus on Milford Haven

The five-year strategy says the Freeport will help enable major port infrastructure upgrades to support the roll-out of floating offshore wind.

Milford Haven is already one of the UK’s most important energy ports, and the plan makes clear that the area is expected to play a major role in the transition from traditional energy industries to cleaner fuels and renewable power.

The document says the Freeport will work to attract investment into key sectors including offshore wind, hydrogen, solar, batteries, sustainable aviation fuel, ammonia, pipelines, carbon capture and storage, and advanced manufacturing.

It also says the Freeport wants to create a stronger local supply chain so that businesses in Pembrokeshire and the wider region can benefit from major industrial development, rather than seeing work and contracts go elsewhere.

The strategy says one of the aims is to ensure local businesses and landowners are supported in accessing capital and external investment for land remediation, infrastructure upgrades and priority projects.

Jobs and skills

A major part of the plan focuses on skills, training and local employment.

The Freeport says it wants to create a “sustainable talent pipeline” where local people can see future job opportunities and receive support with upskilling, career advice and connections to employers.

The strategy says this will include work with schools, colleges, trade unions, local authorities and employers to identify future skills gaps and create employment pathways.

Pembrokeshire College is named among the education partners expected to help deliver workforce transition and future skills for both existing energy industries and new green energy sectors.

The plan also says the Freeport will look at ways to support economically inactive people into work and will consider using some funding to establish a community fund focused on projects that visibly benefit local people, including possible support for transport-related challenges.

Investment and infrastructure

The strategy sets out four main priorities for the next five years.

These are driving capital investment into key Freeport industries, helping landowners progress development projects, exploring local supply chain innovation and decarbonisation, and laying the foundations for a thriving skills market.

The Freeport says it will deliver a £25m seed capital programme by the end of 2028/29 and will prioritise at least two seed capital projects in 2026, subject to agreements on governance and funding.

Business cases for selected projects are expected to be prepared during 2026 before being considered by the Celtic Freeport board. If projects are no longer considered feasible, the strategy says a reallocation process will be required.

The Freeport also plans to build a pipeline of future investment projects using retained non-domestic rates, with revenues expected to begin flowing back from 2028.

The document says business development and marketing will be used to attract high-value tenants to priority sites, including through international investment campaigns and sector-specific proposals.

Planning and grid issues

The plan acknowledges that major development is not straightforward.

It says businesses face challenges including grid connection issues, planning delays, policy uncertainty and the high upfront cost of infrastructure.

To tackle this, the Freeport says it will work with the UK and Welsh Governments, Natural Resources Wales, local authorities and public investment bodies to remove barriers and unlock private investment.

It will also hold monthly meetings with landowners to monitor progress, identify delivery problems and escalate strategic risks where necessary.

Governance and public accountability

The strategy also sets out plans to expand the Freeport’s governance arrangements.

The current board includes representatives from Milford Haven Port Authority, Associated British Ports, Pembrokeshire County Council and Neath Port Talbot Council.

The Freeport says this structure will be expanded to include non-executive directors and representatives from key landowners and business operators.

The plan also includes commitments to publish board schedules and minutes, hold one public board meeting each year, organise an annual community open day, run skills and employment sessions in schools, and hold local job fairs and apprenticeship roadshows as opportunities grow.

Trade unions are also expected to have a formal route into the process through a workers’ consultative forum, with the strategy saying unions will help inform skills interventions, fair work principles and employment priorities.

Cathy Hall, Interim CEO of the Celtic Freeport, said: “This Five-Year Plan sets out how the Celtic Freeport will support businesses across the region to decarbonise, grow and access new opportunities.

“We will be focussing on delivering projects to consolidate the region’s strong industrial future.”

The publication of the plan marks an important moment for Pembrokeshire, where hopes of long-term industrial renewal are closely tied to Milford Haven’s role in energy, ports and marine engineering.

Supporters say the Freeport could bring major investment and skilled jobs to the county.

But the success of the plan will depend on whether the promised benefits are felt locally, whether Pembrokeshire firms can win work from the new supply chains, and whether young people in the county are given a realistic route into the jobs created by the green industrial transition.

Business

Specialist clinic launched in Haverfordwest to treat common eye condition

Published

18 hours ago

June 15, 2026

Cerys Lafferty

A HAVERFORDWEST opticians has launched a specialist clinic for dry eye disease, offering new support for people living with the common condition.

Specsavers Haverfordwest has introduced its Advanced Dry Eye Clinic to give customers access to in-depth diagnosis and targeted treatment for dry eye.

Dry eye is a common, but often misunderstood, condition where the eyes do not produce enough tears, or the tears evaporate too quickly, leading to discomfort, irritation and sometimes blurred vision.

It can be linked to a range of factors, including increased screen use, contact lens wear, ageing and environmental conditions. As many as one in three people suffer from dry eye and most causes can be treated.

Many people are surprised to learn that watery eyes can actually be a sign of dry eye, as the eyes produce poor-quality reflex tears in response to irritation. The new service provides an in-depth approach to diagnosing and managing the condition.

While many high street opticians now offer dry eye clinics, Specsavers Haverfordwest provides a wider range of specialist treatments and technology that are not commonly available.

Using advanced imaging to assess the eyes and tear glands, the team can identify the underlying cause of symptoms and create a personalised treatment plan for each customer.

Whilst there are a range of different treatments available, the major investment has been in the introduction of eye-light devices, bringing advanced IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) and LLLT (Low-Level Light Therapy) treatments to customers suffering from dry eye symptoms.

Designed to target the underlying causes of dry eye disease, the eye-light device combines clinically proven light-based therapies to help improve tear quality, reduce inflammation, and restore eye comfort. The treatment is safe, non-invasive, and suitable for many patients experiencing irritation, burning, watery eyes or discomfort linked to screen use and modern lifestyles.

The clinic also supports contact lens wearers experiencing discomfort, helping them return to comfortable, everyday use.

Some of the first customers to use the clinic have already noticed improvements in their symptoms.

Danielle Thomas says: ‘I honestly can’t believe the difference. I’d been struggling with sore, gritty eyes for years and had given up wearing my contact lenses altogether – they just became too uncomfortable. I was constantly using drops with very little relief.

‘From the moment I walked into the dry eye treatment room, it felt completely different to a normal appointment. The environment is calm, almost spa-like and the whole experience was surprisingly relaxing. The treatments were comfortable and the team explained everything so clearly. After just three sessions the improvement was notable – my eyes feel normal again.

‘The constant irritation and watering have gone and I’m now back in contact lenses comfortably, which I never thought would be possible. It’s genuinely been life changing. I wish I’d known about it sooner.’

Wayne Jones, optometrist and retail director at Specsavers Haverfordwest, adds: ‘Dry eye is something we see very frequently, yet it’s still widely dismissed as a minor irritation. In reality, it can have a real impact on comfort, vision and overall quality of life.

‘What many people don’t realise is that, in many cases, there is an underlying cause that can be identified and treated.

‘By launching this clinic, we’re able to offer a much more detailed and personalised level of care here in West Wales, helping us support more customers locally. We would encourage anyone experiencing persistent symptoms such as dryness, irritation or blurred vision to have their eyes checked, as there’s often a treatable cause.’

People interested in using the clinic should call Specsavers Haverfordwest on 01437 767788 to book an initial assessment and discuss treatment options.