By Peter Tremayne

Newquay Airport looks set to increase its role as a magnet for people travelling to Cornwall from Covid-19 hotspots in England when Leeds-Bradford moves to the Tier 3 “extremely high risk” category on Monday (2^nd November.)

The airport is owned by Cornwall Council, which has urged people from Tier 3 areas not to visit. Cornwall is still a Tier 1 area, with a relatively low rate of infection.

The council, however, is doing nothing to prevent flights from high-risk areas. The loss-making airport is desperate for revenue.

Although the government has said that travel to and from Tier 3 areas should be for “essential” purposes only, it has also not put in place any measures to enforce this. “Essential” travel is defined as being for work or education and does not include holidays.

There are regular Eastern Airways flights between Newquay and Bradford, with some fares below £80.

The West Yorkshire route joins the recently-introduced service to Manchester, which is also a Covid-19 Tier 3 area. An airport spokswoman said:

“The responsibility to follow government advice regarding travel restrictions is that of the individual whether that travel is by air, road or rail. There are no powers bestowed on any third parties in this respect.