PEMBREY Airport has been buzzing with aircraft refuelling over the last month. There has also been interest from Premier League soccer clubs.
Travel planners for Manchester City among other clubs, have been in touch with airport manager Winston Thomas asking if they could land at Pembrey to fulfil fixture commitments with Swansea City this season.
It certainly all seems to be happening on the Pembrey Peninsula.
There has been a high mix of military and civil flight movements that has had Sherlook fans twitching since news broke that Pembrey had been selected as a location for the BBC One television crime drama series.
The Sherlock set location seekers had sourced Pembrey Airport, Cefn Sidan Beach and Pembrey Country Park featuring a light aircraft taking off from the airport and landing on the beach after a flight round Carmarthen Bay.
Alerted to the possible shoot some fans of Benedict Cumberbatch set up camp and got excited about any aerial activity.
But Captain Winston Thomas who manages the airport said while there had been a lot of aircraft in and out there had been no sign on the Sherlock film, crew.
Odd signs displaying “IMSLOCK” have appeared about the village too which the fans believed were coded “Sherlock” crew signs.
Everytime a plane homes in on Pembrey there is renewed activity. And there has been a lot. Twenty Chinooks and Merlin helicopters have arrived between 6 and 11pm keeping the fans on their toes and there have been an additional 48 air traffic re-fuelling movements in and out of Pembrey airport in the last three weeks .
These have involved Western Power-checking electricity lines, Sterling Aviation-gas pipeline security; Walters Group visiting Foslas; Castle Air-Forestry and general aviation visitors from various parts of the UK.
Website news of a possible runway extension at Pembrey in the near future has fuelled the premierships interest in Pembrey.
Mr Thomas says that is all down to securing a runway extension on existing runway bases at Pembrey. Talks are on going with land owners Carmarthenshire Council and fellow leases, The British Automobile Racing Club (BARC). The BARC, which has a packed annual programme of motor sport, manages Pembrey Circuit on shared ground with the airport on the former RAF Pembrey Sands Spitfire fighter base.
CAPTION: TAKING OFF: Pembrey Airport manager Winston Thomas waiting in the wings as Western Power helicopters fuel up at Pembrey. Pic: Ron Cant
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