16 MARCH 2020

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Article from BTNews 16 MARCH 2020

London to Newquay route

The Department for Transport is expected to announce later today who is to take over the former Flybe Newquay – London 'public service obligation' subsidised air route. Cornwall County Council has acted as agent.

Guernsey-based Blue Islands Airways, owned by medical entrepreneur Peter Coates, has put in a bid to operate three times daily into London City Airport (LCY) with a 70-seat ATR turboprop.

“Ideally we would have liked to fly into Heathrow,” said board member Paul Simmons, a former easyJet sales director UK. “However we already serve LCY from Jersey and will clearly be made very welcome at the East London airport. 

"Heathrow would have been ideal but in the short time available the practical aspects could not be sorted out. London City will work very well into London with the DLR, and also UK/European connecting traffic to and from Cornwall.”

Flybe flew four times weekdaily into Heathrow T2 with a similar de Havilland Q400 prop jet but controversially planned to move the operation to Gatwick at the start of the summer season on 28 March. 

In what some thought was a retaliatory measure, British Airways has announced a twice-daily Heathrow service between 2 July and 7 September. 

Simmons said after some teething troubles regarding reservations, the Blue Islands takeover of the Southampton – Jersey route is proceeding smoothly.

See also BTN 17 February.

www.blueislands.com

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OUR READERS' FINEST WORDS (All times and dates are GMT)

All comments are filtered to exclude any excesses but the Editor does not have to agree with what is being said. 100 words maximum


Andrew Sharp, Surbiton

Either it's a PSO route or a subsidised route - legally, it can't be both.


David Starkie, London

If BA is operating a summer service to LHR how can one justify a PSO operation at the same time to LCY or LGW?


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