With the sad news today that Flybe are leaving Newquay airport and selling many of their Gatwick slots, now would seem a very appropriate time to start wondering what comes next for the beleaguered Cornish airport.
Stuck in a downward trend since 2008, Newquay Cornwall airport has in the 2012-13 financial year only drawn about 173,000 passengers. Compare this to similarly sized airports in similar locations and it doesn't fare well. Although not necessarily comparative, London Southend Airport, for example, looks to be going from strength to strength and aims to fulfill the 2 million passenger mark by 2020. It shows there is still growth there in the regional sector, and the demise of Newquay will disappoint many not just from the locality, but the regional aviation industry in the UK as a whole.
Now is make or break time for Newquay Airport.
Infrastructure is far from ideal to Newquay, but many passengers have also complained about they way they are treated and dealt with once they arrive at the airport. The compulsory £5 airport development fee has not only put passengers but also airlines off, and a lack of facilities has only very recently begun to be rectified. Put simply, it isn't the most professional of environments.
The competition from other forms of transport is fierce, but Newquay is going to have to adapt and invest if it wants to draw airlines in. Many believe that scheduled flights abroad would be popular, however unfortunately charters from Newells don't really cut it for the majority. Newquay needs to embrace the idea of being different - of allowing you to access an adventure in a remote part of the world - rather than just trying to be a poor imitiation of better regional airports in the country.
But then again, £20 Ryanair flights do help....
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-22638983
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