New SAS flight from Newquay connects Cornwall with Copenhagen

‘Air connectivity into Cornwall is vital to our tourism economy’ - Tim Jeans, airport chairman

Newquay is getting a new Scandi connection (Alamy)

In one of the most surprising route announcements of the year, nonstop flights will soon connect Newquay in Cornwall with Copenhagen.

From June 2019, SAS will fly between Newquay and the Danish capital twice a week through the summer.

Cornwall Airport Newquay, as it now styles itself, handles about half-a-million passengers, while Copenhagen handles 30 million.

While the new route is mainly aimed at inbound tourists to Cornwall, it will also open up a wide range of travel options with a one-stop connection in the Danish capital.

Tim Jeans, the airport’s chairman, told The Independent: “This new service unlocks the whole Scandinavian market into Cornwall. Hitherto a visit involved a flight to Birmingham or London and then a five-hour road journey.

“Now, through the SAS hub in Copenhagen, cities from Stavanger to Stockholm are just four hours away.

“Air connectivity into Cornwall is vital to our tourism economy and this new service will add many millions to business and enterprise across the region.”

The new route will, to some extent, compete with easyJet from Bristol to Copenhagen.

Travelling from Newquay on the first SAS flight on 28 June for a week, the lowest return fare is £369. On the same dates from Bristol on easyJet, the cheapest ticket is £68 return.

In 2016, Newquay was Britain’s fastest-growing airport. After a £5 passenger fee was dropped, passenger numbers increased by 60 per cent.

Also in the southwest, Exeter Airport will see sharp expansion in the summer of 2019, with Ryanair flying to Malaga, Malta and Naples.

Meanwhile, British Airways has announced that its new five-a-week link from Heathrow to Nashville will increase to a daily departure next summer. The airline says it is the fastest new route to move to a daily service in 10 years.