Attracting new airlines 'can be a challenge'

Amy Smith said airlines would only put in new routes if they thought they would work for them as a business

An airport chief has told how they have to play the long game when it comes to attracting new airlines.

Amy Smith, managing director of Cornwall Airport Newquay, told BBC Radio Cornwall they were working hard to expand the number of flights over winter but had to "work years ahead" to build relationships and business cases with airlines.

"They are only going to come in and put a new route in if they think it is going to work for them as a business," she said.

Ms Smith said airlines were commercial entities and they needed to build a business case around why a route may work for them.

Ms Smith added: "We have seen growth in our winter schedules. We used to be summer heavy.

"We have a lot more in winter now than we used to... but there are definitely more we can have."

She said airlines such as TUI and Jet2 "are on our hit list" to bring to the airport.

The airport's summer 2025 schedule, which runs from late March to late October, includes 20 destinations across the UK and Europe, with flights to Faro, Düsseldorf, Zurich, Dublin, Belfast City, Manchester, Edinburgh and Newcastle among these.

An airport representative said these included new and returning routes with Eastern Airways, Loganair, Aer Lingus, Edelweiss, Eurowings, Skybus, easyJet and Ryanair.