Cornwall Airport Newquay will be flying into the jet age next summer – thanks to an agreement between Cornwall Council, the Department for Transport and Flybe to operate 118-seat Embraer jet aircraft on the Newquay to Gatwick route.

Cornwall Airport Newquay has seen a 16 per cent increase in the number of passengers using the Newquay to Gatwick route since the introduction of the Public Service Obligation (PSO) last year. All partners have been keen to build on this growth by replacing the existing turbo prop aircraft with the Embraer jet which will improve reliability, increase capacity, reduce journey times and improve passenger comfort on the route.

The larger jet will provide an additional 40 seats per flight (40,000 departing seats from Newquay over a 12 month period) - making air transport more accessible. The newer, more efficient aircraft will also help improve reliability and reduce journey times by 10 minutes in each direction.