NQY and PLH needed each other for most of the scheduled routes as there was just not the population and demand for them to make it work on their own.
trafficnotsighted,
If you're suggesting that NQY & PLH needed each other for most of the scheduled routes just to endeavour to fill 50 seats at a time then you are on the wrong track.
50 seater aircraft are too large for the Devon & Cornwall market, the market needs similar sized aircraft to 20 and 35 seats, that's what bought ASW down, they were following the same mistake as those before them, if people want to fly from Plymouth to London they don't want to go via Newquay when doing so, the routes were only supposed to be combined for one season but remained combined for 30 years!
That said, with only one airport on the Devon & Cornwall peninsula it's going to be difficult for any new air operation to make something work. NQY, by itself, can only justify utilising 1 or 2 aircraft (dependant upon size) and 1 or 2 aircraft doesn't make for an airline, throw PLH in to the melting pot then there's perhaps a market for 3 or 4 or 5 aircraft.
Without PLH then NQY is out on it's own down there and perhaps it's only hope may be if, such as British Midland in the 1970's, an operator from another part of UK or Europe may decide to operate a route or few ... Stranger things have happened, just look at Oxford/Kidlington!
