Flybe flight from Heathrow to Newquay thrown into doubt

When Flybe’s link between Newquay and London Heathrow began on the last day of March 2019, the four daily round trips were seen as a triumph for Cornwall.

The service, using Q400 propeller jets, has thrived, with high “load factors” on most flights. It provides a crucial connection between Southwest England and the world.

But the regional airline has is not selling tickets for flights between Newquay and Heathrow beyond 28 March 2020.

The “booking horizon” for scheduled flights is commonly 11 months. 

The only route from Cornwall to the capital currently on sale after that is a four-times weekly link with Southend airport.

The regional airline secured the precious slots for the four daily flights each way last winter, at a time when it was under severe financial pressure.

Earlier this year, a consortium comprising Virgin Atlantic, Stobart Group and a US hedge fund, Cyrus Capital, bought Flybe for £2.8m. The group has pumped in tens of millions of pounds to keep the heavily loss-making airline afloat. It is to be rebranded as Virgin Connect in 2020.

Many routes have been closed and some have been launched. But the ending of sales between Newquay and Heathrow has caused considerable alarm in Cornwall.

Regular travellers have taken to social media to express their concerns.

“Cornish Boy Simon” tweeted: “Come on. Let’s have some honesty and transparency here. Nothing available after end of March. 

“No meaningful comments from airline or airport.”

Another Twitter user, Xander, wrote: “I’ve just been trying to book flights to LHR from NQY next year, I’m seeing that the flights are cancelled, is this correct? Is there no London service at all?”

Until the Heathrow route opened, the Cornish airport had three daily jet services a day to and from Gatwick airport, carrying much the same number of passengers as the Heathrow link because of the larger aircraft used.

The airline has left the door open for the link to continue. A Flybe spokesperson said: “As part of the first phase of our 2020 summer programme, we have six routes on sale from Cornwall Airport.

“We are working closely with our partners in Cornwall to finalise our full 2020 summer programme relating to those services which may currently not feature in this seasonal schedule.”

A spokesperson for Cornwall Airport Newquay, as the airport is officially known, said: “We are still working with Flybe to finalise their full 2020 summer programme from Cornwall Airport Newquay and hope that the full schedule will be available to book in the near future.”

For a route not to be on sale four months before departure is most unusual. Travellers planning to fly to or from Newquay via Heathrow are unable to book.

Slots at Heathrow are among the most valuable commodities in aviation. They have in the past changed hands for over £50m a pair.