New rival for Ryanair

Ryanair is to face a new competitor on its London to the West Country route.

Air Southwest, a new British regional airline, is to take over Gatwick to Plymouth and Newquay services this autumn from British Airways' carrier CitiExpress.

The new airline, which will operate four daily return flights on 50-seat Dash 8 aircraft, will compete with Ryanair's Stansted to Newquay service.

Air Southwest is being set up by Plymouth-based company Sutton Harbour Holdings and the new service will start at the end of October when CitiExpress withdraws from the routes.

"This is excellent news, not just for passengers travelling to and from Devon and Cornwall, but for the regional economy as a whole," said Sutton Harbour managing director Duncan Godefroy.

He added that the company was investigating the possibility of operating further UK, and European, services from both Newquay and Plymouth.