Skybus (United Kingdom) (IOS, Land's End) has been awarded an interim public service obligation (PSO) contract to operate between Newquay in Cornwall and London Gatwick. The airline will source ATR72 turboprops for the route, initially through a wet-leasing agreement with Blue Islands and later through a damp-lease from Aurigny Air Services.

Flights on the route previously served by Eastern Airways (T3, Humberside) will begin on November 23, initially daily, and later increasing to 2x daily on weekdays.

The Cornwall Council contract was awarded on an interim basis following the collapse of Eastern Airways, but the exact duration of the arrangement was not disclosed. The local authority will work on a permanent contract once the temporary network is in place.

Skybus said that due to "the condensed launch timescale" it would have to initially wet-lease an ATR72-500 from Blue Islands. The Jersey-based carrier has four such aircraft in its fleet, alongside one ATR72-600.

"A Skybus-liveried permanent ATR72 aircraft will then enter service in mid-2026; it will be operated by Skybus' Newquay-based pilots, cabin crew, and engineers under an arrangement with Aurigny Air Services of Guernsey," the airline's managing director Jonathan Hinkles said.

Aurigny operates five ATR72-600s, but neither carrier confirmed whether it will place one of these under a contract with Skybus or add a sixth one.

Under a long-term partnership deal announced earlier this year, Skybus is operating two DHC-6-300s on behalf of the Guernsey-based carrier. The aircraft are replacing Aurigny's in-house Do228-212(NG)s, which will retire by January 2026. All up, Skybus' fleet comprises five DHC-6-300s and three BN-2s.

Skybus will be the first-ever Cornwall-based airline to serve the local PSO. It plans to offer connections via Newquay to Isles of Scilly St. Mary's, and has pledged to hire all Newquay-based pilots and crews laid off after the collapse of Eastern Airways.