Newquay Airport: Passenger panic
The decision to suspend flights for almost three weeks was taken last night by bosses as Cornwall County Council.
The RAF will not provide air traffic support after the airfield is handed over to the local authority on December 1.
Newquay Airport website has advised "Newquay Cornwall Airport airfield will be closed between Monday 1 and Friday 19 December 2008. Cornwall County Council apologise for the inconvenience this will cause."
It goes on to say that "every attempt will be made by the operating airline to contact passengers affected by the airfield closure."
Kay Lockett, from Bodmin, is one of the hundreds of passengers affected.
She said: “I had a sleepless night worrying whether I would get to go on my trip that I have been so excited about.
“I contacted the holiday company first thing this morning and staff are in the process of arranging alternative transport. I think we might have to get a shuttle to Plymouth.
“This has just added a whole new layer of inconvenience to my trip that I could really do without.”
Helen Penry lives in Singapore and was due to fly from Newquay to the Isles of Scilly on December 17.
“Luckily I have a friend who lives in Newquay so she was able to let me know this has happened. I could have been in a situation where I arrived in England the day before my flight and would have had no way of getting to my friend’s wedding.
“I think this has been handled really badly and made me question whether I can rely on the airport in future.”
While Newquay Airport website tried to assure passengers "we are currently implementing contingency plans with our airline partners and all affected flights", Jeff Marston, chief executive of the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company, which operates Skybus, said the closure was "extremely disappointing".
He added: "Customers who have already made bookings with Skybus will be contacted by the airline in due course."
Andrew Mitchell, CCC's economy portfolio holder with responsibility for the airport, said: "I'm hugely disappointed. We have not heard the reasons why the RAF can't stay, but there is obviously some huge issue over staying.
"I can only apologise to the thousands of passengers who are now going to have to rearrange their travel arrangements while the airport is closed down and the chaos that is going to cause. I know this is massively inconvenient for them.
"There is now a huge task ahead of us discussing how to sort things out with our customers, the airlines. I've absolutely no idea how much we might have to pay in penalties to our customers."
The control tower should have been finished by last week and all this week the CAA should have been in making sure that the controllers were fully familiarised with the air space and local geography.
"At the end of the week, the controllers would go through a final test to make sure everything was up to scratch.
"We realised last week that contractors working on the tower were behind schedule and that things would not be ready in time for the CAA. We would not get a licence until the CAA is totally satisfied that the controllers are fully trained up on the equipment and know what they are doing.
"Everyone involved has worked fantastically hard on this project and it's a real shame we've fallen at this last hurdle."
Chris Cain, Newquay Airport's project director, said: "Certainly all flights up to November 30 are not affected.
"If the council has to pay any extra costs over the delay, they will not be passed on to the council taxpayer."
Tim Jones, chairman of Devon and Cornwall Business Council, said the council had "set its margins too tightly".
"This would never have happened in the construction industry," he said. "On huge projects like this, you set up your contingency provision and then times it by four to allow for delays.
"If this had happened at any other time of year, the impact on tourism would have been considerable.
"Luckily it's quiet at this time of year, but if it drags on any longer into the Christmas period then it could get difficult for those wanting to come to Cornwall for Christmas and New Year."
He added that it was "a PR disaster for the county".
It is the first time in the UK that an airport has switched live from a military airport to a civilian one.
A dedicated telephone hotline has been set up to assist passengers who are affected by the temporary closure of the airfield: 01872 322002
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