Isles of Scilly Skybus is a British

airline An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in wh ...

which operates year-round scheduled services to the Isles of Scilly from Land's End Airport and

Newquay Airport Cornwall Airport Newquay is the main commercial airport for Cornwall, United Kingdom, located at Mawgan in Pydar, northeast of the town of Newquay on Cornwall's north coast. Its runway was operated by RAF St Mawgan before 2008, and is now o ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

, and seasonal scheduled services from Exeter. Their head office is located in the Isles of Scilly Travel Centre in Penzance, Cornwall. Isles of Scilly Skybus Limited holds a

United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is the statutory corporation which oversees and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the United Kingdom. Its areas of responsibility include: * Supervising the issuing of pilots' licences, testing of e ...

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. The airline is owned by the

Isles of Scilly Steamship Company The Isles of Scilly Steamship Company (ISSC) operates the principal shipping service from Penzance, in Cornwall, to the Isles of Scilly, located to the southwest. It provides a year-round cargo service together with a seasonal passenger se ...

. The parent company operates shipping services to the Isles of Scilly in its own name, and also owned the now defunct Westward Airways.

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 Brymon Airways is a British former airline with its head office in the Brymon House on the property of Plymouth City Airport in Plymouth, Devon."World Airline Directory." ''Flight International''. 24–30 March 199961 "Brymon House, Plymouth Cit ...

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 The de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada, which produced the aircraft from 1965 to 1988; Viking Air purchased the type certificate, then restart ...

aircraft the route network expanded to its current make-up. It is wholly owned by the

which also runs the passenger ferry, ''

Scillonian III RMV ''Scillonian III'' is a passenger ship based at Penzance in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, run by the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company. She operates the principal ferry service to the Isles of Scilly and is one of only three ships in the ...

'', 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 Southampton Airport is an international airport located in both Eastleigh and Southampton, Hampshire in the United Kingdom. The airport is located north-north-east of central Southampton. The southern tip of the runway lies within the Sou ...

were dropped at the end of the 2012 season to concentrate on services from Exeter, Newquay and Land's End.

Destinations

Isles of Scilly Skybus Britten-Norman Islander

Aircraft are based at Land's End Airport,

Newquay Cornwall Airport Cornwall Airport Newquay is the main commercial airport for Cornwall, United Kingdom, located at Mawgan in Pydar, northeast of the town of Newquay on Cornwall's north coast. Its runway was operated by RAF St Mawgan before 2008, and is now o ...

and St. Mary's Airport. Historically, Skybus have flown to Bristol Airport,

Cardiff Airport Cardiff Airport ( cy, Maes Awyr Caerdydd) is the only airport offering commercial passenger services in Wales. It has been under the ownership of the Welsh Government since March 2013, operating at an arm's length as a commercial business. Pa ...

in the UK, Saint-Brieuc - Armor Airport in France and the now defunct Plymouth Airport.

Fleet

The Isles of Scilly Skybus fleet includes the following aircraft:

References

External links

Official website
{{Airlines of the United Kingdom Airlines of the United Kingdom Airlines established in 1984 Transport in Cornwall Transport in the Isles of Scilly Companies based in Cornwall British companies established in 1984