A North Wales AM has made a fresh call for the Welsh Government to scrap the heavily subsidised air link between North and South Wales and invest savings in improving rural bus and train services.
The air link, dubbed ‘Ieuan Air’ by critics, receives £1.2 million a year from the Welsh Government. Speaking in the Senedd this week Clwyd West AM Darren Millar (pictured) called for it to be scrapped.
Darren said:
‘Wales can ill afford to continue to shell out more than three thousand pounds per day on Ieuan Air.
‘Such a huge subsidy is unacceptable, particularly when the Welsh Labour Government continues to scrap and reduce subsidies for rural bus routes across North Wales, such as those along the A5 in my constituency.
‘The Welsh Government must explore a more commercially viable air link to serve people wanting to fly between North and South Wales.
‘A link from an international airport such as Liverpool, for example, is likely to require a much reduced subsidy which would allow savings to be invested in maintaining rural bus services.
‘Such a service would connect two great cities, offer greater economic benefits to Wales and would be more convenient to access for the majority of people in North Wales.’
