The 'Airport Files': Key revelations from documents council bosses fought to keep hidden

A two-year legal battle for the disclosure of until-now secret files relating to the sale of Teesside Airport back in 2003 is over.

But what do they tell us about the airport’s sale? How do they impact its future? And why did Hartlepool Council and owner Peel battle to keep them hidden?

Delving into the documents they did not want you to see, we digest the main revelations and break down their significance.

1. What was Peel’s offer to the six councils?

Airport operator Peel bought a 75% stake in the airport in 2003 from six Teesside councils for £500,000.

Peel also committed to a £20m investment package - promising to expand the terminal to cater for increased footfall, deliver a new access road and business park Northside, and work with partners to deliver a “premier” 2,500,000sq ft business park Southside.

After the full £20m package was delivered, the councils’ collective share would dip to around 12%.

2. What did Peel say about passenger numbers? And what happened in reality?

Back in 2003, the files show Peel considered Government passenger projections to be “conservative” and said it would plan for “even greater numbers”.

Passenger numbers initially rose from 750,000 and peaked at almost a million in 2006. But they then fell sharply and continue to decline year on year.

Current figures are now a fraction of their former heights, at around 130,000.

3. When could Peel sell?

The files show Peel would not be allowed to sell until the proposed £20m investment scheme had been delivered.

They also reveal a number of rights not normally available to minority shareholders.

Most significantly, Peel would not be able to effect a closure without the councils’ consent - unless it could demonstrate the airport is “no longer economically viable”.

It is also blocked from selling to named competitors of TIAL.

Peel have promised to keep the airport open until at least 2026, subject to a review of its financial performance in 2021.

4. Why have the files been disclosed now?

The files, held by Hartlepool Borough Council, remained secret until Friday.

A two-year long legal wrangle to secure their disclosure was sparked by a Freedom of Information request from a member of the public dating back to 2016.

Hartlepool Council refused their release - a decision subsequently overturned by the Information Commissioner.

The authority made a second attempt to keep the documents hidden, unsuccessfully appealing to an information judge who ordered their full disclosure after a tribunal.

5. Why were they blocked?

Hartlepool Council told Judge Dhanji that disclosure would be “detrimental” to the airport’s ongoing development, while Peel argued the documents would “prejudice its commercial interests”.

The operator claimed that the information could be used by competitors, or those opposed to private ownership of the airport, to undermine its plans to achieve a “long-term viable business model”.

It stated this could allow comparison of economic activity at the airport against strategic goals in the bid, and “unfairly create pressure” on other local authorities to reject commercial proposals and refuse planning permission and public funding.

But Judge Dhanji rejected the appeal and ordered full disclosure of the documents within 35 days.

They were finally delivered on Friday, the judge’s deadline day.