Newquay's growing success

Once a backwater for passengers in the UK, Newquay Cornwall Airport is seeing large increases in passenger volume with more than 400,000 passengers expected to use the airport facilities this year. The number represents ten times the number of travellers who used the airport in the 1990s and even then, half those numbers were transit passengers.

The airport has one of the longest runways in the UK, and is located near Watergate Bay, just 20 miles from Truro. Until recently, the airport went under the name of the Newquay Civil Airport. It is still part of the RAF St Mawgam, but that airbase is due to close next summer, making Newquay an entirely civilian operation in the near future.

In addition to the 9000 foot runway, the airport is also the only scheduled airport in Cornwall and is particularly attractive for large jets.

Karen Medweth, the airport's commercial manager said: Our summer schedule is busier than ever before and were delighted that we are on-track to meet our growth target of 400,000 passengers in 2007. The airlines operating at Newquay offer some great fares and packages, making accessibility to the region very attractive for holidaymakers and business travellers alike.

Ten years ago, the airport was mostly used by an airline known as Brymon. Now Air Southwest is Newquay's largest operator. The airline uses the airport for 50 flights a week to Gatwick, Cardiff, Leeds, Bristol, Dublin and Manchester. This season, the airline announced the addition of four flights a week from Cork.

Other airlines have noticed the airport and have begun offering flights there also including British Airways, Flybe, bmibaby and Ryanair.

Flybe offered five flights a week between Newquay and Edinburgh during the summer and will continue those flights this winter as well. Recently the airline announced a new route between Newquay and Belfast City which started in May and another flight to Geneva was also added recently in order to take advantage of a high demand from winter skiers. Flybes flights to Geneva will begin on December 15th and continue on a weekly basis until March 29th 2008.

BA offers a daily flight between Gatwick and Newquay. Ryanair flies daily from Stansted while bmibaby flies from Manchester. Skybus also operates flights to Newquay from the Isles of Scilly.


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Jennifer Jones Editorial


20/08/2007


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