Route Development

[TheLocalYokel]

The latest CAA stats (for July) have been posted in the appropriate NQY thread today. They show that passenger growth this year has stalled after the impressive performance of recent years.

Flybe might come up with one or two titbits for next summer but it really needs something significant from such as Ryanair. We've had a similar discussion on the EXT forum in the past week or so and Ryanair featured in that too.

NQY has Hahn and Faro in summer (both 2 x weekly) and Alicante year-round now (2 x weekly). Tenerife might be thought a possibility, and also Malaga and Palma (the latter likely to be summer-only).

There is one school of thought that wonders why the likes of NQY and CWL don't have more Ryanair presence when both Cornwall and South Wales send a lot of passengers to BRS which does have a decent network with the airline.

BRS has four based aircraft and the equivalent of three more through over 50 weekly rotations in summer operated by aircraft based elsewhere. If Ryanair wanted to serve NQY or CWL more intensely then operating some of these non-BRS based aircraft there would not present any logistical difficulty. The snag then is that Ryanair would see its BRS market fall, with other airlines no doubt stepping in, so it might be more likely that additional NQY (and CWL) services would be as well as BRS rather than instead of. NQY does need some more summer sun routes though.

Ryanair ought to begin announcing its summer 2019 programme in the coming weeks so it should not be too long before we know whether NQY is to see them grow there next year.

I don't know whether AMS is any closer with KLM. Given the temporary reductions at a number of UK regional airports this year for operational reasons AMS might still not be imminent.

 

[Jerry]

The snag then is that Ryanair would see its BRS market fall, with other airlines no doubt stepping in, so it might be more likely that additional NQY (and CWL) services would be as well as BRS rather than instead of. NQY does need some more summer sun routes though.

Ryanair ought to begin announcing its summer 2019 programme in the coming weeks so it should not be too long before we know whether NQY is to see them grow there next year.

I think with Ryanair when the Faro route was announced for both airports there seemed like there may be hope that they would increase there presence by offering more routes but that hasn't seemed to happen. Hopefully they'll add somehthing for next year.
Another surprise for me is why Flybe don't offer a sun route from NQY especially since they do from other regional airports like Norwich and EXT and SOU.
Or why TUI don't offer even a few non based flights like they do at Humberside.

 

[forest1979]

Agree with all of the comments. I hope Ryanair consider more but my gut tells me they won’t (for now). there is the possibility it may impact Alicante and faro which have good loads and then of course Bristol and or Cardiff.. having said that I think palma or Malaga could be supported, the latter year round.
TUI.. again I thought they may appear as they do from so other smaller regional airports but then they base technically up the road and that will be well used by the Cornish. This in my opinion would be the case for Flybe and it would appear they are drawing back on these.
I think the airports focus will be to sustain what they have, grow German markets and focus on landing LHR..
Regarding passenger numbers, it will have slowed but can’t see it will be less this year. There are more routes, they in the main have started earlier and Alicante will go year round. Smaller growth but surely growth all the same..

 

[superking]

With the lack of sun routes from Newquay by flybe is down to flybe with a selection of sun routes from Exeter. With people wanting to fly with flybe Exeter is not so far away,and with that in mind would think flybe will offer sun routes from Exeter and not from Newquay as they might think routes from Newquay would dilute Exeter loads.If people want to fly with flybe they will travel the shortish distance from Cornwall to Exeter. Flybe will keep doing the route selection from Exeter due to Exeter being the Flybe home base which does not help Newquay to get a great selection of destinations. The best chance of Newquay getting a selection of sun routes lies with the big holiday companies with them using 3rd party airlines to operate the routes. On the lcc side I think FR would be the best bet for doing sun routes.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Regarding passenger numbers, it will have slowed but can’t see it will be less this year. There are more routes, they in the main have started earlier and Alicante will go year round. Smaller growth but surely growth all the same..

Possibly just about. The months have not been consistent in growth or loss so it's more difficult to assess the year end as the below monthly list will show. Alicante through the winter might well be the clincher to finish the year in positive territory. Then again if August sees the sort of growth that June saw that would be a big step.

In the first seven months of 2018 the airport has handled 263,430 passengers compared with 261,691 in the same period in 2017. Currently then the calendar year of 2018 is 0.66% up on the same period in the calendar year of 2017.

January saw + 16%
February + 11%
March - 1%
April - 7%
May unchanged
June + 5%
July - 4%

 

[Scottie Dog]

From a Government email dated 1st October:

London-Newquay flights secured for further 4 years

Service will see daily flights between Newquay Airport and London Gatwick, with 3 return flights on weekdays and 2 per day at weekends.

 

[Silvercity]

From a Government email dated 1st October:

London-Newquay flights secured for further 4 years

Service will see daily flights between Newquay Airport and London Gatwick, with 3 return flights on weekdays and 2 per day at weekends.

I thinks it probably a busy route for Flybe.

 

[Jerry]

I thinks it probably a busy route for Flybe.

Newquays busiest route i believe.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Cornwall is a remote part of England and this PSO route serves an important need.

 

[Jerry]

Cornwall is a remote part of England and this PSO route serves an important need.

You have to wonder though if because of the remoteness and Newquays status as a holiday destination if a service like this should be able to stand on it's own without being a PSO route.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

You have to wonder though if because of the remoteness and Newquays status as a holiday destination if a service like this should be able to stand on it's own without being a PSO route.

Cornwall is certainly remote. It has no motorway with the nearest at Exeter, at the other end of Devon, although the A30 has been upgraded and improved through the county in recent years. Rail journeys between Newquay and London take at least over five hours with many over six hours.

The PSO service is to forge a link between Cornwall and the rest of the country and further afield, not just with Newquay. Cornwall is heavily dependent on tourism and agriculture.
Being one of the poorest parts of the UK, Cornwall has qualified for and continues to qualify for a number of EU grants to try to create jobs and boost the economy.

Cornwall would seem to tick most of the EC's boxes when it comes to PSO air routes. No airline has come forward to take the commercial risk of providing a London service at the same level of frequency as this PSO route.

 

[Jerry]

Cornwall would seem to tick most of the EC's boxes when it comes to PSO air routes. No airline has come forward to take the commercial risk of providing a London service at the same level of frequency as this PSO route.

I suppose that might be the key in that the PSO helps with the frequency for a route and without it an airline might just only offer a daily service.
I can't help comparing Newquay with Inverness for it's remoteness to the rest of the UK and the domestic routes it has especially London but then i guess INV does have 2 airlines operating to London and i think 3 London airports covered.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I suppose that might be the key in that the PSO helps with the frequency for a route and without it an airline might just only offer a daily service.
I can't help comparing Newquay with Inverness for it's remoteness to the rest of the UK and the domestic routes it has especially London but then i guess INV does have 2 airlines operating to London and i think 3 London airports covered.

Inverness Airport being in the Highland and Islands of Scotland has no APD on its flights which is one of the big advantages of PSO flights.

I've looked back over ten years at the London passenger numbers from NQY (ack CAA).

NQY-LGW
2007 74,000 passengers
2008 63,000
2009 101,000
2010 106,000
2011 101,000
2012 96,000
2013 93,000
2014 94,000
2015 116,000
2016 150,000
2017 162,000

From memory, and I don't claim infallibility, Air Southwest operated the flights until 2010. After that Flybe operated the route but gave notice of their intention to cease from March 2014. That led to the first PSO which allowed the route to continue and surprise, surprise, the PSO was won by Flybe.

Ryanair operated a London route from Stansted from 2007 for three years but pulled out when NQY imposed a departure tax on all adult passengers, since scrapped

NQY-STN
2007 97,000 passengers
2008 129,000
2009 46,000

easyJet operated a summer route from Southend to NQY in 2013 and 2014:

NQY-SEN
2013 7,500 passengers
2014 7,000

The above passenger numbers certainly confirm a market but airlines seem to claim they cannot operate a London route viably under normal commercial conditions.

 

[Jerry]

The airports Facebook page says a new route will be announced on Tuesday at an event at the Lighthouse cinema which is part of Newquay business week. So possibly a hub/city destination maybe?

 

[Silvercity]

Inverness Airport being in the Highland and Islands of Scotland has no APD on its flights which is one of the big advantages of PSO flights.

I've looked back over ten years at the London passenger numbers from NQY (ack CAA).

NQY-LGW
2007 74,000 passengers
2008 63,000
2009 101,000
2010 106,000
2011 101,000
2012 96,000
2013 93,000
2014 94,000
2015 116,000
2016 150,000
2017 162,000

From memory, and I don't claim infallibility, Air Southwest operated the flights until 2010. After that Flybe operated the route but gave notice of their intention to cease from March 2014. That led to the first PSO which allowed the route to continue and surprise, surprise, the PSO was won by Flybe.

Ryanair operated a London route from Stansted from 2007 for three years but pulled out when NQY imposed a departure tax on all adult passengers, since scrapped

NQY-STN
2007 97,000 passengers
2008 129,000
2009 46,000

easyJet operated a summer route from Southend to NQY in 2013 and 2014:

NQY-SEN
2013 7,500 passengers
2014 7,000

The above passenger numbers certainly confirm a market but airlines seem to claim they cannot operate a London route viably under normal commercial conditions.

I was pleased to see that Flybe are going from 1 per week to 2 per week for next summer on their LPL-NQY.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

A couple of NQY press releases have appeared in recent weeks regarding two new routes that have commenced this summer.

New connection to the Channel Islands commences from Cornwall Airport Newquay

www.cornwallairportnewquay.com

New connection to the Channel Islands commences from Cornwall Airport Newquay

Cornwall Airport Newquay (CAN) further expanded its route network on 3 June 2019 and welcomed the arrival of Flybe’s new service to Jersey and Guernsey. The route will be operated by Flybe franchise partner, Blue Islands, three times weekly to the Channel Islands throughout the peak season.

Cornwall Airport Newquay’s Managing Director, Al Titterington commented “We continue to develop a broader portfolio of destinations and airlines for our passengers as we see an ever-growing demand for visitors coming to Cornwall, but also those who seek ease of travel from their local airport,”

He continued, “Flybe’s schedule is ideal for anyone wanting to enjoy an extended weekend, or a full week break, in either the Channel Islands or Cornwall – now just a one-hour flight away compared to an eight-hour drive and ferry crossing.”

Passengers arriving from the Channel Islands were welcomed to Cornwall with a bag of Cornish Fudge from Buttermilk, a true taste of Cornwall!

Copenhagen becomes Cornwall’s next continent connection - Cornwall Airport Newquay

Scandinavia became Cornwall Airport Newquay’s latest continent connection as SAS launched its seasonal service to Copenhagen.

www.cornwallairportnewquay.com

Copenhagen becomes Cornwall’s next continent connection

Scandinavia became Cornwall Airport Newquay’s (CAN) latest continent connection as SAS launched its seasonal service to Copenhagen today. Commencing its twice-weekly operation to the capital city, the Star Alliance member directly links Cornwall’s gateway to the Nordic nation for the first time.

“Our new route to the Danish capital was originally due to start next week but, due to overwhelming demand, SAS not only bought the launch forward a week, the carrier also added more capacity,” explains Al Titterington, Managing Director, Cornwall Airport Newquay. “With 25% more seats on offer than initially planned, we look forward to developing further with our newest airline partner, and building on the instant success of Copenhagen,” adds Titterington.

As SAS becomes the sixth airline to offer scheduled flights from the Airport, the new link with Copenhagen joins CAN’s direct European services to Alicante, Cork, Dublin, Düsseldorf, Faro and Stuttgart this summer. Through generating an additional 2,880 seats from the Airport during the peak season, SAS’ operation enhances travel options to Cornwall as well as opening up a network of over 70 onward destinations in Europe, Asia and North America for Cornish travellers.

 

[forest1979]

Leeds Bradford now year round.. another good year round connection to the north for Newquay

 

[Jerry]

According to Willie Walsh BA were interested in operating Newquay as a summer route but the Flybe PSO stopped them. Which begs the question why didn't BA apply for the PSO?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51117885

 

[forest1979]

I find that staggering.. he was one of them saying they would never run it and it wasn’t on their list even with a 3rd runway at LHR.
Im personally glad something has been sorted. Climate change aside, APD needs to be reviewed but in this case I think Virgin could have done more. They didn’t go into this with their eyes shut!

 

[Jerry]

With Flybe dropping Heathrow and moving it back to Gatwick maybe BA will now look at launching Newquay as a seasonal route like Willie Walsh said they wanted to?