A busy 2018 at Cornwall Airport Newquay (CAN) saw a number of new routes announced, including the much anticipated link into an international hub, London Heathrow; StobartAir adding London Southend (under the Flybe franchise) to its portfolio of routes; and a new airline partner, Scandinavian flag carrier, SAS, introducing a new link to Copenhagen. There was also an increase in passenger numbers in the winter months with Ryanair extending its popular Alicante service to a year-round operation as well as technological advances in both the passenger check-in process and onsite car parks.
The year ended on a high with passenger numbers up 20% year-on-year in November and 7.3% in December compared with 2017. 450,000 passengers used the Airport with projections for overall passenger growth by the end of the financial year meaning a 5th consecutive year of growth.
Last year saw the Airport make some exciting announcements for both new and existing customers. New charter holiday provider Superbreak announced short breaks to Iceland (Q1 2019) which was enthusiastically received by customers. This continued with Ryanair’s extension of the Alicante summer route becoming year-round, offering a much demanded winter sun destination from Newquay.
Eurowings added to the Airport’s strong German portfolio with new routes, improving the connections for European tourists, an added bonus for many local businesses. This growth within the Eurowings offering gave Scandinavian airline SAS the confidence to announce a new Copenhagen route, bringing the opportunity for further inbound tourism into Cornwall from the Danish and wider Scandinavian market.
Managing Director Al Titterington comments: “We’ve had some fantastic new routes announced over the last year. The Copenhagen route has already proved popular with the Danish market, with flight dates being extended before the first flight has even landed!”
“With our German routes already bringing new visitors into Cornwall, it is hoped that we see this replicated with Scandinavian customers and will continue to grow the international passengers keen to see more of our beautiful county. With our new connection to London Heathrow starting in March this year, we hope that we will see far more tourists from further afield, such as the USA and Asia, who can now easily connect to Cornwall via Heathrow.”
The announcement in November of the new Heathrow route came after many years of hard work by the Airport team. The Heathrow route running four times daily has been welcomed by business users travelling to London, who can now be in the city centre in just 15 minutes from Heathrow’s terminal 2, or hop straight on the underground network. The connection will also prove invaluable for local passengers wishing to connect to international destinations.
“Titterington continues: “Whilst 2019 may bring some challenges to the aviation industry, we are looking forward to continuing to grow and improve our Airport in the interests of the people of Cornwall”