Cornwall Airport Newquay is UK’s fastest growing airport
Cornwall Airport Newquay has retained its position as the UK’s fastest growing regional airport, recording a 48 per cent growth in passenger numbers for the calendar year 2016.
Between January and December 2016 the airport handled 369,000 passengers, up significantly from the 250,000 handled in 2015 and making it the third consecutive year of double-digit growth.
The figures were almost certainly helped by the airport’s decision to scrap a controversial £5 ‘airport development fee’ in March 2016, a move that paid instant dividends when Ryanair resumed services from the airport.
Its future prospects continue to look positive, with operating company Cornwall Airport Limited, confirming that it expects to end the 2016/17 financial year with passenger numbers up by more than 50 per cent.
New routes
The airport has also announced a host of new routes and service extensions for summer 2017. Both Ryanair and Aer Lingus have expanded their networks from Newquay introducing new routes for this summer, with Faro commencing in March and Cork in May.
Flybe has added more flights to some of its most popular routes from Cornwall Airport Newquay for summer, increasing Manchester to a double daily service and adding additional weekly flights to Birmingham, Glasgow and Belfast with Leeds Bradford increasing to five flights a week for its first summer season.
In addition to adding Cork to their Cornwall network, Aer Lingus has increased its Dublin service for this year and added transatlantic connections meaning that New York, Boston, Chicago, Hartford Connecticut and Toronto are just a one-stop flight away from Cornwall. The services have the added bonus of an immigration preclearance facility in Dublin, meaning passengers effectively arrive stateside as a domestic arrival.
Al Titterington, managing director at Cornwall Airport Newquay, said: “Our business strategy has been to grow the airport in a way that is sustainable and best meets the needs of the Cornish residents as well as supporting the local economy.
“Whilst we don’t expect the growth to continue at quite such an extraordinary rate, we do expect to see continued strong and sustainable growth again this year, taking the Airport close to record levels.
“The effect Brexit has had on the pound against the dollar and euro means this year is likely to see an even bigger rise in the number of staycations than we have seen in recent years, adding even more of a boost to the local economy.”