Newquay and Plymouth Airports - their rise and fall - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[broadgage]

I live in London, but travel regularly to Taunton, Exeter, and Plymouth.
Faster trains would be nice, but the present times to those destinations are not bad IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion).
I doubt that daily commuting between London and Plymouth is feasible at present or at reasonably forseeable journey times.
Business travel for meetings etc is entire doable.
I doubt that daily commuting by air between London and Plymouth would be viable due to the cost.
I doubt that many leisure travelers would fly to Plymouth, so that leaves business travel for meetings etc, I doubt that the demand for such would support an air service.

The air service ceased for lack of demand, and I doubt that demand will increase when oil prices increase, as they assuredly will.

[Pb_devon]

I'm Plymouth based and frequently travel into central London on business. I never used the plane (when we had one!) as the time to check in, fly, & then get into c london was little different than the train. On return, one might as well go to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) to get on a train straight home, than VIC to go to LGW, then wait....... You get my drift!
 Also Plymouth airport was very weather affected, and hence more unreliable. 


NB: LGW = Gatwick

[devon_metro]

If Plymouth were to re-open, where would planes fly to? Can't see any airline economically using a slot at a London airport from the likes of Plymouth.

[TonyK]

Gatwick would have them if they cut a deal with other airlines for connecting flights. Heathrow wouldn't. The most likely scenario would be a circular route eg Plymouth - Jersey - Guernsey - Gatwick - Manchester - Isle of Man - Liverpool - Bristol - Plymouth using smaller turboprops, and with flexibility to miss out airports if no-one wanted to go there. Other options could be to link with small airports, such as Oxford, Cambridge, Gloucestershire, Blackpool or Carlisle, using one as a hub to get to the others.

[stationstop]

Gatwick will have them but it doesn't want them, because they no longer fit in with the business model. LGW's airfield/passenger charges are pitched to favour operators with A32X/B737 sized aircraft.

Unfortunately the "milk run" style of flying doesn't really work here like it does in vaster places like Norway with Wideroe, or in Canada. Despite what people say, we live in a well connected part of the world and people will not tolerate sitting on a Dash 8 or ATR for hours just to get from A to B via X, Y & Z.

[JayMac]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Newquay-Gatwick flights to end

Flights between Newquay and Gatwick are to end after Easyjet said it would not run the service next year.

The move will end the far south west's only year-round air link to London.

Easyjet, which has blamed insufficient demand, took over the Gatwick slots from Flybe, but will now run summer-only flights to London Southend.

Newquay Liberal Democrat MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) Stephen Gilbert tweeted that he was "gutted" and it would be a "blow to businesses across Cornwall".

Business 'devastated'

In a statement, the firm said: "Following Flybe's decision to cease operating from London Gatwick to Newquay, Easyjet carefully and thoroughly examined the commercial viability of offering year-round services on the route. Unfortunately, after much consideration, all of the evidence clearly shows that there is insufficient demand to sustain a service using an A319 aircraft with 156 seats."

It said newly announced routes to London Southend and Liverpool will "fly thousands of people into the region providing vital support for the local economy over the summer peak".

But one businessman, Chris Ingram from Cornwall-based Continental Underfloor Heating, said he was "pretty devastated" about Easyjet's decision.

The Newquay-Gatwick route has been regarded as a regional economic lifeline, especially since flights to and from Plymouth Airport stopped in July 2011.

Mr Ingram said: "This is going to make it very difficult. It creates a big question for us, whether to invest money in Cornwall or do we need to seriously think about locating some core functions outside the county."

Cornwall Council, which owns Newquay Airport, said it was "disappointed" that the Gatwick route would end.

It said in a statement: "Providing a regular air link to London is very important to the economy of Cornwall and we remain in discussions with a number of other airlines to maintain this vital link."

The airline plans to operate four flights per week to and from London Southend from 14 July until 7 September 2014.

The airline will also fly two services per week between Newquay and Liverpool starting on 3 July until 7 September 2014.

[Thatcham Crossing]

This is still rumbling on, and NQY^▸ (Newquay (Station)) are still saying (in answer to questions on their Facebook page) that they are still hoping to secure an operator to fly daily from "a London Airport" from the end of March, and that "negotiations continue".

Realistically, that's going to be either Luton or Stansted, as we know it won't be Heathrow, Gatwick or I suspect London City either.

[TonyK]

This is still rumbling on, and NQY^▸ (Newquay (Station)) are still saying (in answer to questions on their Facebook page) that they are still hoping to secure an operator to fly daily from "a London Airport" from the end of March, and that "negotiations continue".

Realistically, that's going to be either Luton or Stansted, as we know it won't be Heathrow, Gatwick or I suspect London City either.

Agreed. I suspect easyPeasy used Southend for their operational convenience only.

[JayMac]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Plymouth Airport: Viable calls for council decision

A group that wants to reopen Plymouth Airport has called on the city council to make up its mind about an offer it has made to buy it.

The group, called Viable, said it had put "a cash offer on the table" in excess of ^1m.

The council said it wanted an airport in Plymouth but the site was let on a long lease and the leasehold interest would need to be secured.

The last commercial flight departed from Plymouth Airport in July 2011.

Raoul Witherall, Viable's chairman, said: "For some time we have had a cash offer on the table now with the city council for a number of millions based on a valuation by an independent expert.

Five tests

"The council has got to make a decision about the airport, get off the fence and back a proposal one way or another. We've offered the city council a way to take this forward."

In August last year Viable handed a petition to the council, which it said had 37,000 signatures supporting the need for an airport.

In a statement Plymouth City Council confirmed it had met with Viable to discuss its proposals.

The statement went on to say: "We would, like many people in this city, love to see an airport for Plymouth and are keen to protect the land for this purpose.

"We made it clear that anyone interested in running an airport would have to meet the five tests, one of which was that any proposal would not be subsidised by public money."

The council is the freeholder of the land, but the airport is let to Plymouth City Airport Limited (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sutton Harbour Holdings) on a 150-year lease from 2004.

The council said to secure the ownership of the airport, Viable would need to secure the leasehold interest.

[stuving]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

Newquay-to-Gatwick Flybe route threat lifted

By Neil Gallacher
BBC South West Business Correspondent

A deal has been done which will see Flybe keep the Newquay-Gatwick route going into next October

Cornwall's air link to London, which was due to be axed in March, will continue until next autumn.

Flybe has announced it will keep the Newquay-London route going until October 2014.

That could give Cornwall Council time to arrange a public subsidy that would guarantee the route longer-term.

Flybe has secured new slots, allowing its 78-seat planes to continue to fly from Newquay twice daily - morning and evening.

Subsidy eligibility
No other firm came forward to run the route and the South West's only link to a major London airport, the Newquay-Gatwick route, looked set to be cancelled.

The "commercially sensitive" deal, which is being kept under wraps by Flybe, buys time for the council to hopefully complete a process to unlock public funding to support the troubled route from October onwards.

In October, the Department for Transport confirmed to Cornwall Council that the route was technically eligible for subsidy.

If the complex arrangements can be put in place, the government will support an operator - not necessarily Flybe - to run the route for a four-year period.

The BBC understands the subsidy could amount to several million pounds each year.

Continue reading the main story

But Niall Duffy from Flybe said without the subsidy, the route was not viable.

"This is a route that, without public subsidy, is not sustainable on a year-round basis," he said.

"If you look at Scotland, if you look at some parts of Wales, there are public subsidised routes that keep passengers on the move and I think London and the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) need to seriously look at their commitment to rebalancing the economy."

[... continues]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Newquay Airport 'could become a rock concert venue'


Newquay Airport costs owner Cornwall Council about ^3m a year in subsidies

A Cornwall councillor has suggested the loss-making Newquay Airport could become a rock concert venue to help balance the books.

Cornwall Council, the airport's owner, subsidises the airport with about ^3m a year. But UKIP councillor Harry Blakeley said there was "no reason at all" why the airport could not host concerts, go-kart racing and other activities. Cornwall Council said space was limited at the airport.

Last year passenger numbers at the airport fell for a fifth year in a row to 174,000, down from 431,000 in 2008/9. The airport, a former military base, was hit by Ryanair and Air Southwest pulling their flights in 2011. And there is concern that the airport's links with Gatwick will end in the autumn when Flybe is set to pull out, saying the service it is not viable.

Councillor Blakeley said it was "big enough" for concerts. "The only downside is road access which isn't good," he said. "There are huge tracts of land and a go-kart area is probably an acre or an acre and a half. A lot of people would spend good money to have international facilities there."

He also suggested kite boarding. "A lot of small drops make an ocean," he said.

Councillor Adam Paynter, cabinet member for partnerships, which helps oversee the airport on the Independent-Liberal Democrat controlled council, said they would consider the proposal. But he added: "The total acreage is about 861 acres - it is a big area but a lot is the Enterprise Zone which is 650 acres and 231 acres is development land, occupied by commercial companies and 87 acres is the solar park. We also get paid by the government to stay open as an emergency airfield. The runway is one of the largest in the country so any plane can land there."

Health and safety problems made it "very difficult" for the airport to host thousands of people at a concert, he added. "The difficulty is keeping people apart from the commercial activities," he said. "The site is really not big enough."

The airport has already hosted car shows, eco-car races, police driver training and has been used for filming TV and commercials. Income from these activities has risen from ^80,000 in 2008 to more than ^350,000 this year.

[Umberleigh]

Imagine the situation at Dawlish will be very good news for the Newquay-Gatwick air link. Not only will it boost loadings but it will surely enhance their chances of a subsidy

[JayMac]

Imagine the situation at Dawlish will be very good news for the Newquay-Gatwick air link. Not only will it boost loadings but it will surely enhance their chances of a subsidy

Flybe have announced three additional services between Newquay and Gatwick.

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Flybe-vows-advantage-Dawlish-rail-line-disruption/story-20583938-detail/story.html

[Umberleigh]

The Newquay - Gatwick air link has secured a four year Government subsidy, as per those awarded to remote areas of Wales and Scotland:

http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/council-news-room/media-releases/news-from-2013/news-from-december-2013/welcome-for-flybe-announcement-on-newquay-to-gatwick-air-service/?page=35906

New operator to commence in October, unless Flybe secure the contract

[Umberleigh]

Sorry, this link:

http://www.thisisthewestcountry.co.uk/news/cornwall_news/11091618.Taxpayer_to_back_Newquay_to_Gatwick_air_link_for_next_four_years/?ref=var_0