Archive for the ‘Newquay airport’ Category
AirSouthwest has underlined its commitment to the South West of England’s air links with the early launch of its summer 2009 flight schedules. The airline, which flies from Plymouth, Newquay and Bristol airports, is encouraging travellers to and from the South West to book early in order to secure its lowest prices. Air Southwest deputy chief executive Mike Coombes commented: “In the current economic climate, it is more important than ever that we offer our customers low fares, with no hidden extras. Our pricing policy is very simple - the earlier you book, the lower the fare. So by making our summer 2009 flights bookable now, we are giving our customers plenty of time to grab a bargain flight.” The airline is also claiming that the launch of its summer 2009 schedules is good news for tourism in the region. Mr Coombes added: “With people all over the UK feeling the pinch in their wallets, I firmly believe that places like Devon and Cornwall, the destinations of childhood memories, will be a popular choice for summer 2009, as people shun expensive foreign breaks.” Air Southwest flies year-round from Newquay Cornwall Airport to London Gatwick, Manchester, Leeds-Bradford Airport, Glasgow Airport, Newcastle, Bristol, Cork and Dublin. At Plymouth City Airport, the airline offers year-round flights to London Gatwick, Manchester Airport, Leeds-Bradford, Glasgow, Newcastle Airport, Bristol, Cork, Dublin and Jersey. From Bristol, Air Southwest serves Manchester, Leeds Bradford, Newquay and Plymouth. British Airways has announced that it will withdraw scheduled operations from four London Gatwick short-haul routes, including its daily flights to Newquay Cornwall Airport, and that plans to start two new services from Gatwick have also been scrapped. The decision has been taken in light of its first quarter financial results and the cancellations are part of a wider programme to reduce costs across British Airways’ network. British Airways’ Chief Executive Willie Walsh said: “The combination of unprecedented oil prices, economic slowdown and weaker consumer confidence has led to substantially lower first quarter profits.” British Airways recommenced flights to Newquay in March 2007, operating midday services with Boeing 737 aircraft, timed to complement the higher frequency services of Air Southwest, which also serves London Gatwick-Newquay. The last British Airways’ flight to Newquay will be Saturday, 25 October, 2008. Air Southwest will continue to operate four daily flights on the route throughout the year. Ryanair meanwhile is continuing with its flights from London Stansted. “While we are naturally disappointed to see British Airways suspend their services having had close dialogue with them throughout, we understand the circumstances,” said Chris Cain, Project Director at Newquay Cornwall Airport. “Since British Airways came on the route, the market for air travel to and from London grew significantly – increasing by 20% last year – confirming our belief that there is scope for additional capacity on the Newquay - London route.” “However, it is a tough environment for all airlines in the current economic climate with oil prices at an all time high,” he noted. “Carriers around the world have been forced to cut capacity and routes and Newquay is not immune from these global conditions, but we know there is a strong, sustainable market for air services to London. We are confident that we will see services developing further as economic conditions improve.” Would-be skiers from across Devon and Cornwall recently enjoyed a free taste of the slopes, courtesy of the region’s own low-fare airline Air Southwest and travel specialists Harvey World Travel. The special “taster” day was laid on at Plymouth Ski Centre in preparation for the launch of new flights from Plymouth and Newquay airports to Grenoble, for skiing in the French Alps, starting in December. Harvey World Travel Plymouth Manger Gaynor Bartlett said: “We are delighted to be working with Air Southwest to promote ski holidays flying direct from Plymouth and Newquay. More people are taking to skiing than ever before, and the French Alps combined with the convenience of a local departure airport, are a great choice both for new and experienced skiers.” Flights from Plymouth and Newquay to Grenoble commence on Saturday 20 December 2008 and run until 28 March 2009. Fares start from £39 each way including taxes. On 21 June Newquay Cornwall Airport will welcome Lufthansa, Germany’s national carrier, and the start of its new weekly air services from Dusseldorf International Airport. Lufthansa Regional franchise partner Eurowings is operating weekly Saturday services to the German city in the heart of the Rhein-Ruhr region using Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft. “The beautiful scenery and landscape of the Cornwall region is well known to German TV viewers because of the Rosamunde Pilcher novels that are extremely popular here,” says Lufthansa Senior Vice President Dr. Christoph Klingenberg, “Our arrival at Newquay is in response to the wishes of our customers to experience this beautiful region themselves. That is why we are introducing this new route. Forward bookings for the summer months on the route are extremely encouraging to date with seat load factors for July already in excess of 71%,” he noted. “We are absolutely delighted to welcome our first route from Germany. Cornwall sees a lot of visitors from Germany and we are pleased that Lufthansa now offers them the opportunity to fly directly into the heart of the UK’s most attractive County – its rugged coastline, beautiful gardens and award winning cuisine are just some of the things that visitors can enjoy. This new route is a great addition to our growing international network,” said Karen Medweth, Commercial Manager. Timetable: Newquay to Düsseldorf Düsseldorf to Newquay Reservations can be made by visiting www.lufthansa.com. Lufthansa is the third mainline carrier to serve Newquay, joining Swiss International (and its charter flights to Zurich) and British Airways, now established on the London Gatwick route. The airline recently confirmed it would be a year round service. “This is further evidence that Cornwall is not just attractive to regional and low cost carriers, but legacy carriers too,” highlighted Newquay Cornwall Airport Project Director Chris Cain. The airport is on course to handle 500,000 passengers with year with a route network comprising 24 destinations. It recently opened its new arrivals hall which marks the latest phase of ongoing development plans to increase the capacity of the terminal to meet a throughput of 700,000 passengers a year. On December 1 this year Cornwall Airport Ltd will officially take over from the RAF and the one time RAF St Mawgan Airport will be operating with a new civilian licence from the UK Civil Aviation Authority. Cornwall Airport Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cornwall County Council, assumed operational management of Newquay Cornwall Airport on 1 April 2007, following the expiry of the contract the airport held with Serco. Transition works are well underway, including all the elements of the airport redevelopment required to operate in a civilian capacity. Air Southwest is to transfer its winter ski flights originally planned to Chambery from Plymouth and Newquay to Grenoble Airport. The move comes after a request from the local airport authority concerned about congestion at Chambery airport. Grenoble Airport has a wider range of facilities than Chambery Airport, and is also less prone to flight delays during the busy ski season. Customers affected by the airport change will be contacted individually by Air Southwest to arrange amendment of their bookings. Newquay Cornwall Airport and its fixed based operator (FBO) Midwest Executive have a joint presence at Europe’s premier business aviation show EBACE 2008 (May 20-22) in Geneva, Switzerland (Stand 753) as business aviation traffic continues to increase year on year into Cornwall, the UK’s most popular tourist destination. During 2007, business jet movements were up 11% - to a total of 903 aircraft. In 2008, it is forecast to grow 10%, which will push movements up to the 1,000 a year mark. Newquay Cornwall Airport is the gateway to much of the South West of England. An hour’s flight from the major urban centres in the UK – London, Manchester, Edinburgh, etc, it offers something for everyone. Cornwall, the renowned surf capital of England, boasts a stunning coastline, fine beaches, plentiful golf courses, historic sea ports and award winning cuisine, thanks largely to celebrity chefs Rick Stein and Jamie Oliver’s sizeable investment in Cornwall. “Because of the airport’s westerly and coastal position and its long runway it is increasingly popular as a technical stop for transatlantic flights,” said Midwest Executive Managing Director Nick Weston. “Fuel prices at Newquay are very competitive too and we saw a 28% increase in fuel sales last year,” he added. “We are pleased at how business aviation is developing and we are happy to work closely with Midwest Executive to further realise opportunities,” said Karen Medweth, Newquay Cornwall Airport’s Commercial Manager. “This sector complements our growing number of scheduled routes, which this summer will total 24, compared with just 11 at the beginning of 2007.” Midwest Executive Aviation opened its executive/business aviation facility at Newquay in 2003. With additional UK FBO locations at Birmingham International Airport and Durham Tees Valley Airport, Midwest Executive Aviation is now the second largest FBO chain in the UK in terms of locations. “At Newquay Cornwall Airport, we have the full support and encouragement of the commercial and operations teams and this has been a major factor in enabling us to achieve our 2007 results,” said Nick Weston. “I have always had a close link to the region both personally and professionally and I believe the positive Cornish attitude to life in general makes the airport and its staff so vibrant and driven. You can sense that the passengers, staff and the local community fully believe in the airport’s future and completely support it. Our FBO team all have, individually, between 19-25 years’ service at the airport and we are proud of our 100% staff retention record.” He added: “The region is perfect for business investment and relocation owing to its excellent business aviation and scheduled links to major cities and Europe. As the airport prepares for its full transition from December 1, 2008 from an operational military airfield to a fully civilian airport, this offers a prime opportunity to develop business aviation further with plans for a new dedicated Business Aviation Centre and ramp,” he added. Newquay Cornwall Airport can accommodate a range of jets from the new VLJs beginning to enter service in Europe to the heavier jets such as the Airbus ACJ/A319, Boeing BBJ, Embraer Legacy and Bombardier Challenger Series, all of which are now frequent visitors to the airport. |
