An MP and council leaders were yesterday desperately trying to salvage a "lifeline" helicopter service linking the Cornish mainland to the Isles of Scilly.
St Ives MP Andrew George and Cornwall Council were seeking urgent talks with ministers and asking for subsidies applied elsewhere in the UK to be made available in the Westcountry.
The actions follow an announcement by British International Helicopters (BIH) that it would close its service between Penzance and the Isles of Scilly from November 1.
The decision, described as "a kick in the teeth", came on the heels of a legal challenge by supermarket giant Tesco to planning permission granted on the Penzance heliport site to rival Sainsbury's.
BIH said the last-minute challenge had delayed the sale of the site, money from which was desperately needed to keep the service flying, from another location.
The Department for Transport told the Western Morning News yesterday that they would be prepared to meet with leaders of the communities left reeling by the shock news.