Two men who ran a Cork-Belfast air service appear to have abandoned their business. Aer Rianta sources at Cork Airport have confirmed that neither Mr Gary Hitchen nor Mr Tony Mooney has been seen for some weeks.
Newquay Air began trading out of Cork two years ago and had built up a considerable customer base for the service. Aer Rianta first learned that the two principals had left when the pilot of the service's 20-seater aircraft, Mr Neil Goff, told them he had not had contact for some time with his employers. It is understood that they may be in Spain.
The service operated twice daily during the week and once on Sundays. It had become popular with commuters, who used it to avoid the seven-hour road journey between Cork and Belfast. The Northern Ireland Tourist Board had been enthusiastic about the prospects of increased tourism from the South and warmly welcomed the service.
A spokesman for Aer Rianta at Cork said last night that the link was a viable one, and there was every expectation that a new carrier would replace Newquay Air.