BIH

[devonish]

i hear thru the grapevine that British international helicopters are no longer moving to Newquay from Penzance, but are going to build a new heliport nearby, any truth in this ?

[Tallsar]

It's always intriguing when a new member asks questions like this.....are you a local reporter or have some other vested interest in substantiating such a rumour?
I would advise if you stand any chance of getting someone to reply (probably unlikely anyway) that you give us all an insight into why you might want to know.
Cheers :cool:

[trex450]

NEWQUAY'S hopes of an £8 million economic boost have been dashed after it was overlooked as the hub for a new helicopter link to the Isles of Scilly. (http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/news/Newquay-overlooked-Isles-Scilly-link/article-3587634-detail/article.html)

NEWQUAY (http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/topics/person/newquay)'S hopes of an £8 million economic boost have been dashed after it was overlooked as the hub for a new helicopter link to the Isles of Scilly.
British International Helicopters (BIH) told the Cornish Guardian this week that Newquay airport (http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/topics/place/newquayairport) is not the preferred option for a link to the Scillies.
The company confirmed it had reached an agreement with a landowner for a new heliport adjacent to the St Erth industrial estate off the A30.
The move is subject to planning permission and the successful sale of the current heliport at Eastern Green in Penzance to Sainsbury (http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/topics/company/sainsbury)'s. But if successful, it will create a transport hub enabling passengers easy access to the helicopters from the mainline train station and the A30.

Heliport
Tony Jones (http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/topics/person/tonyjones), a director at BIH, said earlier media suggestions that the company would choose Newquay as its base were "simply wrong".
He said: "Our plan 'A' is to sell the heliport [in Penzance] to Sainsbury's and to move to another site reasonably close to the existing one – somewhere still in Penwith.
"We struck a deal with this new Penwith site recently, and it is our preferred option. Being based at Newquay is our plan 'B'.
"We hope planning permission will be granted for the supermarket in October, as our relocation plans depend on Sainsbury's getting the go-ahead."
Back in April 2010 the Cornish Guardian reported of a predicted £8 million cash injection into the Newquay economy, should British International Helicopters (BIH) choose to relocate flights to the Isles of Scilly from Penzance to Newquay.
Should any deal fall through, Mr Jones stated Newquay was the "second string to BIH's bow" and would be pursued to ensure the company maintains its link with St Mary's and Tresco on the Isles of Scilly.
Tony Townsend (http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/topics/person/tonytownsend), from Newquay Chamber of Commerce (http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/topics/company/newquaychamberofcommerce) and Tourism, remained hopeful that Newquay could still play a part in the Scilly link.
He said: "The town's economy has not definitely lost anything yet, as BIH has not committed to St Erth yet.
"But by moving their headquarters to the airport, along with Cornwall Air Ambulance, shows the business developments that are being attracted to the town.
"We hope attracting these business may entice the big names like BA to consider flying to Cornwall's premier resort."

[POBJOY]

Not a rumour but very much the preferred option for BIH.
However the local residents of the affected area are only now becoming aware of this situation so it is early days to consider it a done deal in planning terms.
The local Parish Council have written to only 20 households in the area to inform them, but the reality of the operation would affect hundreds of properties in 5 Parish Councils.
The Newquay option was never a serious one due to distance and reduced payloads and St Erth would be more restricting in the weather sense than Penzance.
The only case for the move is the business one of selling an asset, there is no operational advantage or weather related case for the move.
This was all reported in the local press last week and the letters are now starting to appear.
The term "Light blue touch paper" may well be relevant.