By Graham Smith

There is an eerie quiet at Newquay Airport this morning (Thursday), following last night’s collapse of Flybe.

Flybe operated two thirds of all aircraft in and out of Newquay – meaning most routes today (Thursday) are not flying.

Airport bosses expect to spend the day in talks trying to decide what to do.  Although the main Newquay-London route is heavily subsidised by the taxpayer, an alternative airline must now be found.

A statement on the airport website says: “We are saddened by the news that Flybe has ceased trading. We can confirm that all Flybe flights to and from Cornwall Airport Newquay are cancelled with immediate effect, this includes flights operated by Stobart Air.

“Passengers due to travel with Flybe’s franchise partners: Blue Islands and Eastern Airways, are advised to contact their airline to confirm their travel arrangements.

“Affected passengers are advised not to travel to the Airport but instead to visit http://www.caa.co.uk/news and Twitter feed (@UK_CAA) for advice and information.

“All other flights are operating as normal.”

RyanAir flights to Alicante, and Aer Lingus flights to Dublin, are continuing to operate, as are those to the Isles of Scilly.

Newquay Airport is owned by Cornwall Council, which has denied it had been planning to privatise the facility, or transfer its ownership to the council’s Corserv.  The airport has always needed a large public subsidy to survive.

With two thirds of its traffic suddenly vanishing, its future will now be the subject of intense scrutiny at County Hall.  Some climate change campaigners believe that a massive reduction in air traffic is vital if Cornwall is to meet its ambition of being zero-carbon within 10 years.

grahamsmith@cornwallreports.co.uk