It's always going to be a small. expensive operation - at the end of the day there is very limited accomdation in the Isles and, although it has a better climate than most of the UK, it can't compete with the Canaries or Spain for the sun 'n sand crowd. There is nothing special historically or culturally (cp somewhere like Malta) to attract that crowd

Newquay, which has access to a lot more people and land area struggles to maintain any air service at all.

Th Scilly's are a very small niche holiday market - it will never sustain a lot of competition so prices will be high unless the local Govt. wades in with a substantial subsidy

I think your misguided about NQY


cs

If they did that (and did it in the past- if your claim is correct) they would be/have been in breach of their airport operating licence from the CAA.

My understanding about rotary ops from LEQ is that it was denied based on noise grounds and not as is suggested being told they couldn't use LEQ.


cs

Harry Wayfarer Did you ever see the Penzance heliport in use?

Yes ... And I was on duty on 16 July 1983 ... Were you?

Land's End Airport is owned by the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company, a.k.a. Isles of Scilly Skybus, as Lands End Airport Limited.

The airport has a Private Use Aerodrome Licence that allows flights only as authorised by the licensee.

It's a closed shop!

There is no obligation on a licensed airfield owner to accommodate any outside traffic. Hawarden and Chalfont are good examples and I'm sure there are others. Just because the airfield owner happens to conduct activity at its airfield which requires it to be licensed does not oblige them to let all comers fly from their airfield - and some don't. I don't know what policy ISSCo adopts, but it is not a foregone conclusion (as suggested earlier) that a licensed aerodrome has to allow anyone in (except in an emergency) as has been suggested.

And going back many a year Suckling got kicked out of Ipswich Airport politically.

1983 not a chance but things have changed a tad since then
and I am very used to Penzance since 2002 not for work I may add

I would love to see someone operating a DH89 on the NQY-ISC route. Whatever the price, it would be a memorable flight.

And in my, then (1990's), part-time job I even did a couple of, two years consecutive, stock-takes at B&Q Penzance, one memorable year occupying much of the afternoon/evening/night out in their Garden Centre because I was the one with wet weather gear.

No, I never saw the heliport in use :)

Maybe you should have looked up from your notebook?

As somebody who in the last forty years has spent a lot of time in Penzance (for my sins) the S-61 was a constant factor, no matter what the season or the weather. Very rare was the visit without hearing it at least once outbound or inbound to the heliport.

Flights to and from the Isles of Scilly have been disrupted on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week due to weather, just two flights getting in to St. Mary's on Tuesday and one getting out. Despite a breezy day today, flights have been operating to Scilly from Lands End and latterly flightradar24 has shown a Twin Otter operating the route from Newquay. I was wondering how resilient the forthcoming chopper service might have been in these conditions.

Local press report 184 pax waiting to get out of the Scillies and 154 to get in.