Council commits to talks about flights return

A council has committed to start talks aimed at returning commercial flights to its region.

Carlisle airport, in Cumbria, started running commercial routes in 2019 after a 25-year hiatus, but stopped operating them in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and they never resumed.

In a motion approved at a meeting on Tuesday, Cumberland Council committed to engaging with the airport owners, the government and other local authorities to support a return of commercial flights to the region.

Leader of the Labour-led authority Mark Fryer said proposals could form part of a transport plan when Cumbria's mayoral authority comes into being next year.

"Let's be under no illusion that to do it is going to be really, really tough, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't work hard to make it a success," Fryer said.

The nearest airports to Carlisle are in Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Manchester - Fryer said they attracted high numbers of passengers and already had good infrastructure.

He said a mayoral authority would be best placed to liaise with the government to seek funding to support potential operations in Carlisle.

"It'd be difficult for a small local authority to plough millions of pounds into a project like that."

Independent councillor Robert Betton, who brought the motion to the table, said it did not ask the council "to promise flights or commit to major spending".

"It asks us to work with the airport's owners and other partners to explore what is possible."

Under Stobart Group's ownership in 2019, Scottish-based company Loganair ran flights from Carlisle to Dublin, Belfast and London Southend.

Cumbria Tourism said those routes had made Cumbria "easier to access" and provided links to international markets, such as for passengers travelling from the US via Ireland.

Managing director Gill Haigh said the organisation had been supportive of the flights and were disappointed when they ended.

"There is clearly a lot that would need to be worked through before any passenger services could return."

AW Jenkinson took over responsibility for the Carlisle Lake District Airport in 2024 and has since increased use for military training for UK and NATO forces, acted as a base for search and rescue helicopters and opened a cafe there.

A spokesperson for the firm said commercial routes would require investment "potentially running into millions of pounds", with sufficient passenger demand to make them viable.

"Obsolete" systems at the airport also meant limited appeal from potential operators.

"Aircraft currently rely on visual approaches, meaning poor weather or reduced visibility can prevent them from landing," the spokesperson said.

Aviation expert John Strickland, who has 44 years of experience in the industry, said it was a tough market for regional airports.

"It'd be an enormous challenge to achieve a successful commercial proposition [in Carlisle]."

He said he would not be surprised to see airlines fail throughout Europe this winter due to high fuel costs and any investment needed to make commercial flights work at Carlisle airport would be "disproportionate" to the chances of attracting a sustainable operation.

"Many small airports in many countries have actually closed and if they run they tend to run at a loss."

AW Jenkinson said it was currently operating as an "unlicensed aerodrome", but work was under way to open up to more users.

A spokesperson said it aimed to allow small-scale private charters by 2027 and update its systems the following year, hoping to make it "more attractive" to potential operators.

The spokesperson said: "While we are also actively exploring other opportunities to make the best use of the airport's facilities, we would also welcome the opportunity to be involved in any future discussions Cumberland Council may have, regarding the future and feasibility of the airport going forward."

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