Flights in and out of Newquay Cornwall Airport to be suspended for 3 weeks from Nov 30

All flights in and out of Newquay Cornwall Airport in Cornwall, the United Kingdom, have been cancelled for three weeks from November 30, 2008, because of a problem over air traffic support.

The Cornwall County Council, which owns Newquay Airport, had been due to take over air traffic operations from the Royal Air Force (RAF) on December 1, 2008, but the County Council said there was a delay in securing licence from the British Civil Aviation Authority, the country’s specialist aviation regulator, until December 19, BBC has reported.

Newquay Cornwall Airport, the main commercial airport for Cornwall, in south-west England, is 4 miles north-east of Newquay on Cornwall’s north coast. Its runway was previously a part of the Royal Air Force’s St Mawgan airbase. Newquay Airport airport is located close to attractions such as The Eden Project, National Maritime Museum Cornwall and Tate St Ives.

From December 1, 2008, some flights will be rescheduled to fly from airports in south-west England other than Newquay Airport.

The Cornwall County Council said flights up to November 30, 2008, would not be affected. Chris Caines, Newquay Airport’s project director, said: “Certainly, all flights up to the November 30 are not affected. If there is any problem beyond that, we will let people know immediately.”

The County Council has advised passengers to contact their airline.

A number of airlines operate services from Newquay Cornwall Airport, including Air Southwest, bmibaby, Jet2.com, and Ryanair.

Air Southwest has said it will try to reschedule flights to fly from Plymouth airport. Skybus, which flies to the Isles of Scilly, will use a facility at Lands End.

It has been estimated that about 460,000 passengers are due to pass through Newquay Airport in 2008.

BBC quoted a spokesman of Britain’s Ministry of Defence as saying: “The Ministry of Defence is to vacate the airfield on December 1, 2008, in accordance with our agreement with Newquay Cornwall Airport. We regret that we have not been able to agree to the request to extend our support to the airport, this is because the Royal Air Force personnel who are employed at the airfield are required for operational posts elsewhere.”

The Royal Air Force’s decision to discontinue providing air traffic cover to Newquay Cornwall Airport would mean that the airport is effectively without a licence till December 19.

An official of the Cornwall County Council has been quoted as commenting on the cancellation of flights from Newquay Cornwall Airport: “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. We are clearly very disappointed that the RAF has not been able to continue to operate the airfield beyond December 1. We would like to place on record our sincere appreciation for the cooperation we have received from the RAF throughout this project.”

The Royal Air Force has provided air traffic control support for Newquay Cornwall Airport until now because the RAF’s St Mawgan airbase is quite nearby. Since the St Mawgan airbase has been scheduled for closure for some time, the Cornwall County Council has been in negotiation with the Ministry of Defence to buy the site in order to expand the airport.