Cornwall Live
Lee Trewhela
10 June 2024
Cornwall Council wants to offload the running of the airport to save £4m a year but some councillors have questioned the move
Questions have been asked about an American company which is likely to take over the running of Cornwall's Newquay airport if a partnership deal is agreed with Cornwall Council. The local authority's Conservative administration is supporting a strategy to hand over the majority of the control of the airport and its 650-acre estate in a bid to save around £4m of taxpayers' money each year.
Cornwall Council owns and operates Cornwall Airport Newquay and manages the wider estate, which includes Aerohub Business Park, the Spaceport, Kernow Solar Park and 200 acres of undeveloped land. The airport served 440,000 passengers in 2023/24 and brings in around £72m to the Cornish economy annually.
However, it has continually run at a loss in the 20 years the council has been in charge, due to operational costs. The 2024/25 subsidy is likely to be in the region of £4.8m - £4.5m of which is the cost of regulation, including air traffic control and the airport's fire service.
[Read more: Questions raised about American company which could take on Cornwall's airport - Cornwall Live]
