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Economic Development

Third council backs Birmingham Airport but others decline

Walsall confirms it has agreed a multimillion-pound loan but two others say they won't be offering financial support

Walsall Council has become the third local authority to support Birmingham Airport

More details have emerged over financial support for Birmingham Airport including a third emergency loan from a West Midlands council.

Walsall Council has agreed to supply the airport with a £4.9 million loan, adding to the £18.5 million and £3.7 million already announced by Birmingham and Solihull councils respectively.

In addition, Sandwell and Wolverhampton councils have confirmed they will not be offering loans to the airport but Dudley declined comment.

Coventry City Council said it was committed to helping the airport but would not confirm whether a loan was planned or not.

The seven councils of the West Midlands county own a 49 per cent stake in the airport, a further 48.25 per cent is owned by the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan and the remaining 2.75 per cent belongs to an employee trust.

Like so many other transport hubs across the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ, Birmingham Airport has been massively impacted by the lockdown restrictions as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Its volume of flights between April and December was down 91 per cent and just 31 flights touched down at the airport in the final week of January, compared with 740 at the same point in 2020.