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Restormel: CORNWALL HITS BACK AT MONARCH AIRLINES CLAIMS OVER NEWQUAY TO MALAGA SERVICE

Cornwall Council has hit back at claims by Monarch Airlines that it has been forced to withdraw its service between Newquay and Malaga as a result of the Airport Development Fee and says that all its surveys show that departing passengers are prepared to pay the fee to secure the future of the airport.


Monarch began flying out of Newquay Airport to Malaga three times a week last November on a six month trial basis. Although it had always been planned to end the route in April, representatives of the airline had been talking to the Council about its future.

“A spokesman for Monarch announced only last week in the press that the route had met all of its targets and expectations and had been a success” said Andrew Mitchell, the Council’s Executive Member for the Economy.

“The airline said it had carried more than 6,000 people on the route, and was expecting to carry 5,000 more by the end of April and that, as result of this success, it was reviewing the route to see if it should be part of their Summer schedule”.

“Although we are not surprised that Monarch has decided not to continue with the route, as it was not part of the original agreement, we are very surprised and disappointed that they are blaming their decision on the introduction of the Airport Development Fee”.

Mr Mitchell said that the Council carries out surveys of departing passengers and the vast majority of passengers accepted the need for the fee and were prepared to pay the £5 to ensure the long term future of the airport.

“With passengers paying up to £100 for flights to Malaga, most were not concerned about paying an extra £5 “ said Mr Mitchell. “The passengers we spoke to understood the need to bring in the ADF and we would like to see the evidence of any surveys carried out by Monarch on the views of their passengers, as our surveys show that it was not a major issue “.

“Although we are disappointed by the comments of Monarch, we will not be changing our position on the ADF. We are much more interested in ensuring a viable airport for the future than chasing after specific flights. ”

Mr Mitchell said that he understood that the Council had been contacted by other regional airports which were considering the possibility of introducing their own Airport Development Fees and he wondered if the comments of Monarch were intended to influence other airports from taking this action.