The Council promised that an independent investigation into the temporary closure of Newquay Cornwall Airport would be carried out when the airport was re-opened and the report by John Mills sets out the findings of this investigation.
Draft The temporary closure of the airfield at Newquay Cornwall Airport for 19 days in December 2008 was extremely regrettable and Cornwall Council is very sorry for the disruption this caused to passengers, airlines and to local businesses.
This is the first time a civilian airport has been opened alongside a working military airport and the £50 million plus project, which took three years to complete and involved a wide range of public and private sector partners, is one of the largest ever tackled by the Council.
Newquay Cornwall Airport is an important asset which benefits the whole of Cornwall. It provides a vital transport link for local people, businesses and visitors and connects Cornwall to the rest of the world. In 2008 it was the fastest growing regional airport in the UK, bringing in more than £50 million a year to the Cornish economy. If the former County Council had not taken the decision to take over the airport when the RAF pulled out it would now be closed and Cornwall would not have a civilian airport.
The Council promised that an independent investigation into the temporary closure would be carried out when the airport was re-opened and this report by John Mills sets out the findings of this investigation. The investigation took longer than anticipated to complete, with the Council only receiving the final report earlier this month. The Council is extremely grateful to Mr Mills for his hard work and accepts the findings of his report in full.
Mr Mills was asked to consider the reasons behind and the Council's response to the temporary closure of the airfield and to recommend actions that need to be taken to prevent any such problems in the future. His detailed investigation considered a number of issues, including the overall transition plan, project management, the financial impact of the closure, the Council's relationships with the MOD, the management of media issues and customer relations and its liaison with partners, including the airlines.
The report states that this was a "complex and ambitious" project and that the Council deserves praise for its decision to pursue it in the interests of the whole of Cornwall. Mr Mills identifies the significant challenges added to the project as a result of the need to for construction works around the continuing requirements and usage of the airfield as both a military and civilian airport, emphasising that there was no precedent for achieving such a transition without a lengthy, planned closure between the ending of military activities and the start of civilian operations.
"This was an ambitious, demanding, complex and costly project which was achieved successfully, and not very far at all from its deadline, despite all the risks, delays and problems" says the report. "It is important to appreciate the commitment and hard work by all those involved in securing the completion of the project".
The report also identifies a number of aspects which, it says, could have been done differently or better. These relate to the Council's risk management and project management policies and processes, resources and its communications with stakeholders before and during the closure. It also highlights confusion over the management arrangements between the Council and CAL (Cornwall Airport Limited), the company responsible for the day to day running of the airport.
Mr Mills sets out a series of detailed recommendations aimed at preventing such problems occurring in the future.
The Council has already drawn up an Action Plan to implement these recommendations which was formally approved by the Council's Cabinet this morning. This includes :
* Providing clearer organisation and accountability by setting up a separate Airport company with an independent Chairman
* Reviewing its approach to risk and project management and corporate communications
* Bringing commercial expertise into the running of the Airport by appointing new non executive directors with direct experience of the airline industry
* Reducing the costs to local taxpayers by working towards achieving profitability within five years
"This was a failure of systems and processes – not individuals" said Cornwall Council's Chief Executive Kevin Lavery. "There is now a new Council with a new team of officers and elected members who are committed to learning from the mistakes identified in the report and creating a successful, environmentally sustainable and profitable airport for the people of Cornwall.
"Newquay Cornwall Airport has been running very successfully since 20 December – and in that time has seen more than 200,000 passengers using the terminal. Eight airlines are now flying to and from Newquay, with flights to 22 destinations in both Europe and the UK. The airport has also recently been praised by both Which, the consumer watchdog, and Ryanair who placed Newquay Cornwall Airport in the top five regional airports in the UK for the quality of its security clearance, check in efficiency and car parking.
"The Council has learnt from this experience and will now be better placed to handle such large infrastructure projects in the future" (c) Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. Date posted: 4-Aug-09 |
Newquay Cornwall Airport Transition Report Released 
