THE FIRST easyJet flight from London Southend to Newquay Cornwall Airport touched down at 8.20am this morning amid much fanfare.
Flown by Liskeard-born pilot Richard Andrews, the jet was saluted by water cannons as it taxied towards the terminal building.
He said: "The atmosphere on board the flight this morning was fantastic and I was honoured to make the announcement welcoming passengers to Newquay when we touched down. I'm originally from Liskeard to it's an honour to be part of the crew who operated easyJet's first flight to Cornwall."
Jane Young, from Newquay, and daughter Katy, were two of the first passengers to board the return flight to Southend.
Mrs Young said the new service made it much easier to visit family in Welwyn Garden City, in Hertfordshire.
She said: "We're on our way to my nephew's wedding and this flight makes it much easier for us. It's very important that the airport stays open and people support it. It's definitely needed here and the planes always seem to be full."
The Southend service will soon be the Cornish airport's only link with London after Flybe announced it is scrapping its Gatwick flights from March 29 next year.
Airline bosses blamed airport charges, air passenger duty and "penalistic" government policy for their decision. They sold all of the company's arrival and departure slots at Gatwick to easyJet for £20 million.
Business and tourism leaders have expressed a hope that easyJet could resurrect the Gatwick service – although the airline has so far remained tight-lipped about any move. The company is also introducing flights to Liverpool Airport from July 4.
Ali Gayward, commercial manager for easyJet, said: "Today marks our first flight to Newquay Cornwall Airport and an exciting new step for easyJet. It is great to add a new UK destination to our network and we hope Newquay will prove extremely popular with holidaymakers from London Southend and Liverpool this summer.
"The new Southend flights make business trips or long weekends in the capital easy and affordable as it takes just 45 minutes to reach London by train. The new flights will also open up a range of holiday destinations for people in Cornwall as both Liverpool and London Southend serve a wide range of European resorts and cities."
Al Titterington, managing director at Newquay Cornwall Airport, added: "Today's inaugural flight from London Southend with easyJet is an exciting time for Newquay Cornwall Airport. For us to be operating flights with the UK largest airline is a positive step and we are confident there will be strong demand for this service from travellers to Cornwall."
Malcolm Bell, head of tourist board Visit Cornwall, said: "Cornwall is regularly voted the UK's top holiday destination and we know there are many potential customers from London and Liverpool that would love fast, easy and affordable access to Cornwall. We welcome the routes and are looking forward to working closely with easyJet to establish these exciting, new connections."
