Air Southwest has teamed up with Newquay Cornwall Airport to offer free airport parking for passengers until the end of January.

The New Year offer is open to any Air Southwest customer already booked or planning to book a flight from Newquay during January, and applies from January 6 to 31.

Air Southwest offers eight year-round destinations from Newquay including four flights a day, seven days a week to London Gatwick with fares starting from just £29 inclusive, with no hidden taxes or charges for baggage or check-in. To book meet and greet Gatwick parking online click on the link.

Air Southwest has celebrated its first ever ski flights to Grenoble which took off from Plymouth and Newquay at the weekend.

The new weekly services to the winter ski destination in the French Alps run on Saturdays from 20 December 2008 to 28 March 2009.

Air Southwest deputy chief executive Mike Coombes said: “Grenoble is a great winter ski destination and an excellent choice for both new and experienced skiers. Air Southwest is delighted that it can offer ski breaks for people from across the region right on their doorstep, without having to take a long road journey to fly from a distant airport. Our new flights direct from Plymouth and Newquay have been extremely well received and this new service further demonstrates Air Southwest’s commitment to Devon and Cornwall.”

Newquay Cornwall Airport has been granted a new civilian licence by the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

The airport, which transferred from Ministry of Defence to Cornwall County Council ownership on 1 December, will see Air Traffic Control open today, 19 December, with flights due to resume tomorrow, 20 December.

The airport is advising passengers to contact their airlines.

Newquay Cornwall Airport continues to work with its airlines to put into place contingency plans for all passengers affected by the temporary closure of the airfield from 1-19 December 2008.

Airlines affected by this closure are Air Southwest, Skybus and Ryanair.  The airport has been in contact with each of these airlines to assist in putting into place contingency plans for operations over this three week period.  Updated information is available through the hotline number, 01872 322002 or the Airport’s website, www.newquaycornwallairport.com or from the airlines’ own websites.

“The industry has generally been very supportive of our situation, understanding that licensing of an airport is a complex process made even more so when converting a military airfield to a civilian one, while maintaining live operations for commercial flights.” said Chris Cain, Newquay Cornwall Airport Project Director.

A spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has said, “Newquay has taken a difficult but responsible decision to delay the opening, and the CAA commends Cornwall County Council and the Airport’s Management Team for allocating the appropriate highest priority to safety over the significant commercial pressure to open on time.”

We are working very hard with our contractors, partners and the Civil Aviation Authority to ensure certification and designation is achieved.

Newquay Cornwall Airport (without any responsibility to do so) has independently taken the decision to provide a shuttle coach service to Bristol airport, Bournemouth and London Stansted Airport between the period of 1 December to 19 December 2008 (and booked prior to 27 November 2008).

Ryanair has advised they will cancel their flights from Newquay between 1 December through to 11 January.  We are pleased that Air Southwest (ASW) and many other airlines who work in partnership with us, have agreed to resume flights from 20 December.

Newquay Cornwall Airport airfield will be temporarily closed between Monday 1 and Friday 19 December 2008.

Cornwall County Council was informed yesterday, that the RAF is unable to continue to operate the airfield at St Mawgan beyond the original transition date of 1 December.  Given that the Airport will not be licensed until 19 December, it will be closed for commercial flights with flights resuming on 20 December 2008.  However, the terminal building will remain open and in operation for check-in.

Flights up to and including 30 November will operate as normal.

A dedicated telephone hotline: 01872 322002 has been set up to assist passengers who are affected by the temporary closure of the airfield.

The airport is speaking to its airlines and will work closely with them to put in place contingency measures which will minimise the disruption and inconvenience to passengers.

“We are very sorry for the inconvenience this temporary cancellation of flights from the Airport will cause to those who have booked flights during this period,” said Andrew Mitchell, Economic Portfolio Holder for Cornwall County Council.  He continued, “We are clearly very disappointed that the RAF has not been able to continue to operate the airfield beyond the 1st December.  We would like to place on record our sincere appreciation for the cooperation we have received from the RAF throughout this project.”

More information will be published here when received, however, passengers affected by the closure should call the hotline or check on the airport’s website: www.newquaycornwallairport.com

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
Saturdays 21st June 2008 to 13th September 2008
Dep: 11:00 Arr: 12:35 Flight Number: LH4889

Düsseldorf to Newquay
Saturdays 21st June 2008 to 13th September 2008
Dep: 08:55 Arr: 10:30 Flight number LH4888

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.