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Ryanair withdraws Alicante flight from Newquay

Ryanair has withdrawn a summer service to Alicante from the Cornish airport of Newquay.


The no-frills carrier blamed the continued imposition of a £5 charge per departing passenger imposed by airport owners Cornwall Council in 2006.


The move is the second blow for Newquay after Air Southwest announced it was dropping flights to Gatwick.


Ryanair said it would give full refunds to passengers who had booked flights.


The council said the tax helped improve the airport which was expected to see more passengers in the long term.


Ryanair reduced the number of flights from Newquay after 2006 in response to the £5 ‘Airport Development Fee’.


It later reinstated a number of services and in 2009 ran 13 flights from Newquay a week to Stansted, Alicante and Barcelona.


A Ryanair spokesman said: “We have had an issue with the £5 fee since it started. It is a significant fee and we do not believe it should continue.”


Cornwall Council said it believed the majority of users were happy to contribute to supporting the airport’s long term future.

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