Skybus has suspended flights connecting Newquay and the Isles of Scilly for the summer due to a lack of aircraft and qualified pilots. The carrier announced that its routes between Cornwall Airport Newquay and St Mary’s Airport have been halted until August 31.
In a letter to affected passengers, Skybus described it as a “difficult decision” to suspend the route, citing a “series of operational challenges”. The firm acknowledged that the news would come as both a disappointment and a source of frustration for customers, and issued an apology for any disruption and inconvenience caused.
Skybus has assured customers that no immediate action is required, as its team will be in touch with affected passengers in date order to provide alternative flight time options from Land’s End and St Mary’s.
In a bid to support those impacted by the change, the airline confirmed it will offer complimentary parking at Land’s End Airport for affected passengers and refund any fare difference between the original and revised flights.
It will also provide a complimentary voucher for use at Land’s End Airport Café and will continue to offer dedicated customer support to passengers with particular needs or concerns.
Skybus, which operates as part of the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group, said: “Following a series of operational challenges, we have taken the difficult decision to suspend Skybus flights from Newquay.
“We believe it is important to explain openly what has led to this situation. Over recent months, we have faced a combination of a shortage of both aircraft and qualified pilots which has significantly reduced our operational resilience.
“We have explored every available option to maintain the Newquay service but with limited fleet and crew availability, we would be unable to operate the route reliably throughout the remainder of the summer.
“Our priority is to provide certainty for our passengers. We want to assure passengers booked to travel between Newquay and St Mary’s that you will be transferred onto a Skybus flights departing from Land’s End Airport on the same date.
“We understand that this change will have an impact on visitors, residents, businesses and the wider community.
“Connectivity is vital to the islands, particularly during the summer months, and we do not underestimate the importance of maintaining reliable transport links. This decision has been made to ensure that we can operate a dependable and sustainable service for our passengers.
“By concentrating most of our available aircraft and crews on services from Land’s End, we can provide greater reliability and reduce the risk of further disruption during the peak travel period. For the avoidance of doubt our existing Exeter schedule will be retained.
“We are working intensively to strengthen our operation, increase resilience and return to a position where we can offer the level of service our passengers and the community rightly expect.”