Flybe boosts Newquay flights after sea wall collapse
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Flybe has doubled the number of weekly flights it offers from Newquay to Gatwick after rail links were destroyed by the extreme weather conditions this week.
The airline is now offering six flights a day on the route for two weeks as authorities look into how they can rebuild the sea wall and rail track that crumbled under waves in the Devon town of Dawlish.
This video shows just how bad the damage is.
Further announcements will be made once the airline has assessed how many people use the route, which will cost GBP36.99 one-way.
“Flybe fully appreciates the enormous economic cost to the region of losing its rail services, an untenable situation that looks likely to impact the region severely for at least six weeks and possibly even longer,” said Paul Willoughby, chief commercial officer at Flybe.
“Flybe’s regional model means that, at this time of travel crisis which is placing huge pressure on the West Country’s industry and commerce sectors and on leisure and business travel, we are well placed to be able to step in quickly and provide a fast and convenient travel solution,” he added.
Businesses welcomed the announcement but are lobbying the government for help rebuilding the rail link as soon as possible.
Chris Pomfret, chairman of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “This additional capacity from Newquay to Gatwick is very good news and will be warmly welcomed by the business community given the current state of the railway line at Dawlish. But it is only a short-term measure which is why we will continue to lobby Ministers hard for substantive investment in the region’s road and railway infrastructure and for a Public Service Obligation to safeguard our London hub airlinks in the longer term.”
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