Cornish politicians have questioned why the Government will not allow military personnel to remain at Newquay Airport so it can stay open.

Stephen Gilbert, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for Newquay and St Austell said: "It's outrageous that the Government won't let the RAF staff stay on in Newquay for just the next couple of weeks.

"Any closure at the airport, however temporary, will cause many people difficulties as they look to sort out Christmas travel plans and it is, frankly, an added problem that Cornish businesses who rely on the airport just don't need right now.

"Questions must be asked about why the airport wasn't ready in time, but the priority must be to get normal services running as quickly as possible."

North Cornwall MP Dan Rogerson said: "The RAF's primary responsibility is defence and they have got a huge overseas commitment to deal with.

"What must be remembered is that Cornwall County Council has undertaken a huge task which has never been tried before in the UK.

"If they were experiencing problems every day with the airport, then yes questions should be asked, but in all honesty this is a very complex operation."

Mr Rogerson did not believe the set-back would affect tourism. Around 400,000 passengers use the airport every year.

Lee Jameson, Labour candidate for Newquay and St Austell, commented: "The latest failure of local Lib Dems to run Newquay Airport properly is yet another sign of their incompetence. It is about time some one finally took responsibility.

"To have reached such a late stage before announcing that they can't hit their own deadline to give our airport a civilian air traffic control service is ridiculous. The head of the council Cllr David Whalley and Cllr Andrew Mitchell should at the very least issue an apology to local people, and better men might even resign over such abysmal failure."

Mebyon Kernow also slammed the Lib Dem run county council for failing to deliver the handover of the airport in time.

Andrew Long, chair of the South East Cornwall branch of the party, said: "This is just another debacle from this discredited regime. First there was the shameful decision on a unitary council, despite the overwhelming opposition of the people of Cornwall, then the incinerator issue which ignored the wishes of the people of Mid Cornwall, and now this embarrassment that will undoubtedly adversely affect the economy at this critical time."

Fellow MK councillor Glenn Renshaw added: "This is just incredible. The council has known for years that a CAA licence would be required, and also knew when the RAF would leave, and still they managed to mess this up."

Conservative shadow minister for Cornwall Mark Prisk also criticised the county council for its handling of the airport.

He said: “This is a tale of woeful incompetence by Cornwall County Council. Newquay Airport is vital to the businesses of Cornwall, let alone to attracting visitors.

“For the council to miss a long-known deadline, forcing the airport to shut for three weeks, begs serious questions for the council’s management.”