£5m airport project is unveiled

The airport already has planning permission to extend the runway

A £5m project to redevelop an airport - which includes plans to build a new terminal, control tower and a 48-bedroom hotel - has been unveiled.

West Wales Airport at Aberporth hopes eventually to boost the number of aircraft using the site by 75%.

A planning application has been submitted with Ceredigion Council, and an exhibition has opened to the public.

The airport, near Cardigan, is next to Parc Aberporth, an area developing and testing unmanned aerial vehicles.

Ray Mann, managing director of West Wales Airport, said plans to extend the length of the runway from 915m (3,000ft) to 1,199m (3,932ft) had been approved in 2003.

If the plans are backed, he said the number of planes landing and taking off would probably rise from the current level of 2,000 per year to 8,000 in the long-term.

'Building blocks'

Both passenger aircraft and private jets are expected to use it.

Also included in the planning application are proposals to build two hangars, an airport fire station and a technical training centre, which would include courses on aircraft maintenance.

Mr Mann said: "I am now delighted that the time has come to prepare for the next level of its development.

"These plans constitute a major initiative from the private sector, supplying the important building blocks necessary to support new and retain existing investment in the area."

Peter Tanner, managing director of QinetiQ System Evaluation Services, a company investing in the UAV centre at Parc Aberporth, said the plans were "excellent news for Ceredigion".

Residents from Blaenannerch, the village nearest the airport, were invited to see the plans at a meeting held at the airport earlier this month.