Flights from London to Newquay have been cancelled by a small UK airline (Picture: Getty Images)
British airline Skybus has cancelled all flights from Newquay Airport to London Gatwick indefinitely.
The last flights on this route take place on April 2, with customers receiving emails throughout the week notifying them their air travel will not be going ahead.
Skybus was only meant to operate this route until May 31, acting as an interim tender, after Eastern Airways went bust back in November.
The service is funded by Cornwall Council and the Department for Transport, but due to high fuel costs as a result of the conflict in Iran and lower passenger demand, the flights have ceased.
Marina Efthymiou, Aviation expert and professor of aviation management at Dublin City University explains we’re going to see ‘more and more of these cancellations’ among airlines for two reasons, fuel costs and losses.
‘A month ago the fuel cost $95 (£71), now it’s $195 (£147) – a significant jump,’ Marina tells Metro.
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‘The tickets that were bought a month ago for flights were calculated with a fuel cost of $100 (£75). So imagine you bought your ticket three weeks ago to fly from Gatwick to Dublin and you paid £17, they calculated the fuel at £75 but now the fuel is £147, so they’re losing money significantly.’
She adds airlines can’t absorb these costs and they can’t put a surcharge on the remaining tickets because they won’t sell if they’re twice or triple the price.
Skybus is cancelling all flights on this route because of costs (Picture: Skybus)
‘Airlines are also afraid of losses,’ Marina explains. ‘If they cancel the flight two weeks before then you’re not entitled to compensation, you only get a refund or credit, but if they cancel the flight a day or so before, you’re also entitled to compensation, so that’s why they’re proactive.’
Skybus also likely cancelled these flights because Cornwall Council had already agreed to scrap the service back in February after failing to find a tender to continue its public service obligation ensuring air connectivity to more isolated regions.
Customers who had booked this route with the airline received an email saying: ‘As you may be aware, the flights are operated under a Public Service Obligation which was scheduled to conclude on May 31, 2026.
‘In view of circumstances beyond our control, Skybus has advised Cornwall Council that services will now cease at an earlier date. The final services in each direction will take place on Thursday, April 2, 2026.
‘We are therefore contacting all customers with bookings throughout April and May to advise that flights will no longer take place as planned.’
The airline added it ‘sincerely regrets the disappointment and inconvenience’ caused by these changes and customers will be getting a full refund.
Skybus cited fuel costs and low demand for the service as reasons for it cancelling flights
(Picture: Skybus)
One affected traveller told CornwallLive that these cancellations have forced them to make ‘complicated travel plans’ involving an overnight stay and rebooking with alternative providers.
Labelled by visitors on Tripadvisor as ‘stunning’ and a ‘beautiful seaside spot with golden sand’, Cornwall is a popular staycation spot with around four million visitors every year.
A Skybus spokesperson said: ‘Unforeseen circumstances developing in recent weeks have led to the decision, of which Cornwall Council has been notified under the terms of the Public Service Obligation agreement between the airline and council.’
Managing director Jonathan Hinkles added: ‘The huge rise in the global cost of fuel following the conflict in the Gulf, coupled to a significant drop in new passenger bookings since mid-February’s announcement of the planned closure of the PSO air route on May 31, form an insurmountable barrier to the service continuing through April and May.
‘At a time of great economic uncertainty and steps being taken to conserve energy worldwide, it is neither environmentally nor economically sound for us to continue flying with vastly reduced passenger numbers.
‘We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all those who have supported us – whether as passengers, as local stakeholders or as team members delivering service to our customers – through our recent months of Cornwall-London air service provision.’
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