Cork airport received a boost over the weekend welcoming a new airline and route as Air Southwest commenced its Cornwall-Cork service.
The new flights started last Friday and will operate three days a week on Monday, Friday and Sunday throughout May, with a Wednesday flight being introduced from next month.
Flights leave Newquay airport in Cornwall at 11.20am and arrive in Cork at 12.10pm, giving a flight time of less than an hour. Flights leave Cork at 12.55pm and arrive in Newquay at 1.45pm.
Mike Coombes, deputy chief executive at Air Southwest, said a service to Cork was the next logical step in their continued development of services out of Cornwall. "We expect the route to be popular with inbound visitors from Ireland wanting to sample the best that Cornwall has to offer and it's a fantastic short-break opportunity for the people of Cornwall."
The new flights have been welcomed by airport owner Cornwall County Council and by management at Cork airport who say the introduction of the service underlines their commitment to expanding their route network across the UK and beyond.
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin has said that if it was part of government it would keep a pledge made by the outgoing Government to abolish a €100 million debt facing Cork airport.
Earlier this year the board of the Cork Airport Authority (CAA) said it did not accept Government proposals that it would pay €100 million of a €220 million debt. The CAA was told four years ago by then minister for transport Séamus Brennan that it would be debt free following the break up of Aer Rianta.
The authority has moved to seek independent consultants' advice on their proposed share of the debt.
Cork airport has a debt of €220 million on the Dublin Airport Authority books, with some €90 million of this being incurred directly on the new terminal, a further €90 million on other new developments at the airport and the remaining €40 million being a long-standing debt.
The debt is now becoming an election issue, with Progressive Democrat Senator John Minihan warning earlier this year that it could cost the Government a Dáil seat, and also threaten his prospects of gaining a seat in Cork South Central.
