Flybe was one of the early casualties of the Covid crisis in early 2020, at which time it operated year-round to Newquay from Gatwick, Southend, Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Leeds-Bradford and Manchester airports.

It also offered seasonal connections from Belfast, Birmingham, Jersey and Guernsey.

However, starting 30 October, Flybe will return to Newquay offering a 12-times-weekly Heathrow service, flying double-daily on week days. It will also operate a daily Manchester service.

Flybe will operate both routes year-round using 78-seat Q400 aircraft.

Flybe becomes Newquay’s 10th airline, more than it had pre-pandemic, and joins British Airways, Aer Lingus, easyJet, Loganair, Ryanair and Eastern Airways there, among others 

Newquay managing director Sam O’Dwyer hailed Flybe’s return a "major development" for Cornwall, one that would "maintain non-stop access to Europe’s busiest hub and increase links to the heart of northwest England".

"With daily flights to both Heathrow and Manchester starting this winter, these new routes will add much needed extra capacity as well as additional options for passengers on two of our major markets," he said.

O’Dwyer added that with the addition of Flybe, Newquay now had more airlines than it did pre-pandemic and had rebuild the majority of its route network.

“Offering more airline choice and year-round connectivity is a key focus for us and we’re delighted that this latest announcement offers both of these," he said.

Flybe chief executive Dave Pflieger said the new routes would offer connections to "one of the UK’s most popular year-round leisure destination".