THE Government has today (Monday) confirmed that Cornwall will be getting its airlink to London back next month after it announced that it will provide up to £4.3 million to fund direct flights between London and Newquay, and London and Dundee, in a major boost for regional links across the country.  

Cornwall Council will receive up to £1.8 million over two years to run flights from London Gatwick to Newquay, in a reinstated PSO agreement that will create hundreds of jobs and keep people connected as part of the Government’s Build Back Better campaign following the COVID-19 pandemic.   

The Government has also confirmed that it will provide up to £2.5 million to fund direct flights for a further two years between Dundee, on Scotland’s east coast, and London City until 2023. This funding will keep an important route running, supporting regional links across the country.

The two PSO agreements ensure that people from both ends of the country can stay connected through direct flights and benefit from economic growth through encouraging tourism and business travel for years to come.   

While the Scottish airline Loganair will continue to run the flights from London City to Dundee, the flights from Cornwall Airport Newquay to London Gatwick will start on Thursday, December 9, and will be operated by Eastern Airways.  

Robert Courts, Aviation Minister said: “We’re maintaining these vital transport links, including the hugely popular London to Dundee and the reinstated Newquay to London routes, for people right across the country for tourism and business travel. The Government is fully behind UK regional connectivity and  strengthening these routes as we build back better from the pandemic.”   

Cornwall Council cabinet portfolio holder for transport, Philip Desmonde, said: “It is vital for our residents and business community that direct flights between Newquay and London are maintained and I welcome the news that Eastern Airways will operate our key route. This PSO service not only protects Cornwall’s links with London but also offers excellent connectivity around the world into the future.

“While connectivity is vital, we must seek to minimise the impact of air travel on the environment. The Council has worked with all parties to ensure that the environmental impact of the air route is kept to a minimum by selecting aircraft which have lower emissions and lower noise impacts, as well as aligning schedules to ensure capacity meets demand.

“Aviation forms part of the Department for Transport’s commitment to decarbonise transport by 2050, which includes a number of initiatives and commitments to enable domestic aviation to achieve Net Zero.”

This air routes announcement ties into the Government’s wider work on ‘levelling up’ and closing regional inequalities through the UK with stronger transport links. The Public Service Obligation (PSO) helps to keep this vital link open, so connecting up the UK.