A link between Newcastle and Cornwall has been severed as Scottish airline Loganair has suspended its operations at Cornwall Airport Newquay.
The four weekly flights between Newcastle International Airport and Newquay are among the 300 flights scheduled that have now been withdrawn, alongside daily flights from Newquay to Manchester and Edinburgh. Loganair, which is the UK's largest regional airline, announced the news on Bank Holiday Monday, August 29, that its operations are completely suspended from Cornwall between November 2022 and March 2023, reports CornwallLive.
The company called it a "further blow to Cornwall's connectivity," with summer routes linking Cornwall to another regional airport, Teesside, also not returning in 2023. It means those wishing to take public transport from Newcastle to Newquay are now faced with a train journey of at least nine hours with a change in London, as opposed to a direct flight of 85 minutes.
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A spokesperson for Loganair said: "It’s with a heavy heart that we’ve taken the decision to withdraw our entire winter Newquay programme and to curtail our Summer 2023 plans too. Despite all of the challenges that the pandemic has delivered, we’ve worked incredibly hard over the last two years to build up our presence at Cornwall Airport Newquay.
"We’re most disappointed that short-sighted and short-term decisions by the airport’s management to incentivise unsustainable operations by other airlines leave no prospect of winter flights remaining viable, particularly against a backdrop of high fuel prices and rising inflation. In the meantime, we’ll be directing our efforts towards other UK regional airports such as Southampton, Exeter and Cardiff, where airport managements recognise and appreciate the enormous value that year-round, sustainable regional air services can bring to their communities and local economies."
Loganair has contacted all customers with forward winter bookings on the affected routes to offer a change of travel date or options for a refund. The airline's summer 2023 flights are on sale as normal.
Cornwall Airport Newquay responded: "We are disappointed that Loganair have made the decision to cancel their flights to Manchester and Edinburgh this winter but would like to reassure our passengers that a daily service to Manchester is still available with Flybe and we look forward to welcoming Loganair back on both routes in the spring.
"As an airport we are committed to serving the people and economy of Cornwall and this is what drives the commercial decisions we make as an airport. We are delighted that we now have more airlines operating from the airport than before the pandemic, offering destination and airline choice to suit every traveller.
"London and Manchester have historically made up over 50% of the passenger volumes to and from Cornwall Airport Newquay and we are delighted to now be able to offer the choice of up to three flights a day to both Heathrow (flybe, commences 30 October and British Airways) and Gatwick (Eastern Airways), with three airlines operating services to Manchester (Loganair, flybe and easyJet), helping to build back not only the capacity needed on these routes but also offering choice and flexibility to our passengers."
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