Isles of Scilly Skybus

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Isles of Scilly Skybus
Isles of Scilly Skybus (logo).svg
IATA ICAO Call sign
—IOSSCILLONIA
FoundedMarch 1984
AOC # 1086
Fleet size8
Destinations4
Parent company Isles of Scilly Steamship Company
Headquarters Penzance, United Kingdom
Key peopleJonathan Hinkles (MD)
Websitewww.skybus.co.uk

Isles of Scilly Skybus is a British airline which operates year-round scheduled services to the Isles of Scilly from Land's End Airport and Newquay Airport in Cornwall, and seasonal scheduled services from Exeter. It also operates year-round services between Newquay and London Gatwick Airport. The airline's head office is located in the Isles of Scilly Travel Centre in Penzance, Cornwall. [1] [2]

Contents

Isles of Scilly Skybus Limited holds a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Type B Operating Licence; it is permitted to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with fewer than 20 seats and/or weighing less than 10 tonnes. [3]

The airline is owned by the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company. [4] The parent company operates shipping services to the Isles of Scilly in its own name, and also owned the now defunct Westward Airways and Island Helicopters businesses.

History

The airline was established in March 1984 and started operations in August 1984. Isles of Scilly Skybus originated as an air charter operator at Land's End aerodrome which operated high frequency services to the Isles of Scilly. Following the withdrawal of Brymon Airways routes to and from the islands the operator stepped in, initially operating services to Plymouth. This route was later dropped but with the addition of Twin Otter aircraft the route network expanded to its current make-up. It is wholly owned by the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company which also runs the passenger ferry, Scillonian III , and freight services from Penzance to the Islands.

Skybus celebrated 25 years of service in June 2009, painting the aircraft tails with the 25 years mark. An extra Twin Otter aircraft was sourced for the beginning of the 2013 season following the cessation of helicopter services to and from the islands. Flights to Bristol Airport and Southampton Airport were dropped at the end of the 2012 season to concentrate on services from Exeter, Newquay and Land's End. [5]

In 2025, the airline appointed former Loganair CEO Jonathan Hinkles as its managing director, [6] and subsequently agreed to wet-lease two Twin Otter aircraft to Aurigny for its Alderney operation. The first Skybus-operated flight between Guernsey and Alderney took place on 1 November 2025. [7]

On 7 November 2025, it was announced that Skybus is to take over the Newquay to London Gatwick Public Service Obligation (PSO) route which was previously operated by the now-defunct Eastern Airways. The service was originally due to begin on 23 November using a wet-leased ATR 72-500 from Blue Islands, [8] though that carrier would subsequently suspend trading on 14 November. [9]

Destinations

Isles of Scilly Skybus Britten-Norman Islander Isles of Scilly Skybus Britten-Norman Islander.jpg
Isles of Scilly Skybus Britten-Norman Islander

Aircraft are based at Land's End Airport, Newquay Cornwall Airport, and St. Mary's Airport.

Skybus also bases aircraft and crew at Guernsey Airport and Southampton Airport to operate on behalf of Aurigny.

Isles of Scilly Skybus destinations (as of 2025)
CountyCityAirportNotesRefs
France Saint-Brieuc Saint-Brieuc–Armor Airport Terminated
United Kingdom Bristol Bristol Airport Terminated
Cardiff Cardiff Airport Terminated
Exeter Exeter Airport Seasonal [10]
Land's End Land's End Airport Hub [10]
London London Gatwick Airport Begins 23 November 2025 [11]
Newquay Newquay Airport Hub [10]
Plymouth Plymouth City Airport Airport Closed
Southampton Southampton Airport Terminated
St Mary's St Mary's Airport, Isles of Scilly Focus city [10]
Destinations served on behalf of Aurigny (as of 2025)
CountyCityAirportNotesRefs
Guernsey Guernsey Guernsey Airport Hub [12]
Alderney Alderney Airport Focus city
United Kingdom Southampton Southampton Airport Hub [13]

Fleet

Isles of Scilly Skybus de Havilland Canada Twin Otter G-CEWM G-CEWM, DHC-6 Twin Otter, Isles of Scilly Skybus, Land's End St. Just.jpg
Isles of Scilly Skybus de Havilland Canada Twin Otter G-CEWM

The Isles of Scilly Skybus fleet includes the following aircraft: [14] [15]

Isles of Scilly Skybus fleet (as of November 2025)
AircraftIn serviceOrdersPassengersNotes
De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 5117(as of October 2025) [16] [17]
Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander 38
ATR 72-600 170Operated by Aurigny from April 2026 [11]
Total82

References

  1. ↑ "Buy Cornish". Enterprise Edge. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 19 January 2007.
  2. ↑ "Contact Us Archived 17 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine ." Isles of Scilly Skybus. Retrieved on 5 July 2010.
  3. ↑ Operating Licence Archived 20 July 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International . 3 April 2007. p. 95.
  5. ↑ Hargreaves, Andy (15 September 2012). "Skybus Axe Flights From Bristol And Southampton". Scilly Today. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  6. ↑ Eyriey, Nick (27 January 2025). "MD appointed for Skybus | Business Cornwall" . Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  7. ↑ "Aurigny-Skybus plane is in Channel Islands skies for first time". www.bbc.com. 5 November 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  8. ↑ "London Gatwick to Cornwall flights to resume this month". The Independent. 7 November 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  9. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c04g6eee5n4o
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Isles Of Scilly Skybus - Routes". www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  11. 1 2 "London Gatwick to Cornwall flights to resume this month". The Independent. 7 November 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  12. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd7rzlx384xo
  13. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd7rzlx384xo
  14. ↑ "UK's Skybus to phase-out Islanders, focus on Twin Otter ops". ch-aviation.com. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  15. ↑ "UK's Skybus to close Newquay hangar from mid-2Q20". ch-aviation.com. 3 February 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  16. ↑ "Global Airline Guide 2025 - Isles of Scilly Skybus". Airliner World. September 2025. p. 78.
  17. ↑ https://www.thebusinessdesk.com/south-west/news/23898-skybus-celebrates-major-aircraft-contract [ bare URL ]
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