Plan to axe Scilly helicopter service puts islanders in a spin

With a roar and clatter, the helicopter rises up over St Michael's Mount and tracks the rugged Cornish coast before darting across the ocean and touching down 20 minutes later in a land apart, the Isles of Scilly.

For half a century the Scilly helicopter has been a familiar, beloved and important part of life in the far south-west of Britain but the service will be cancelled at the end of next month.

To the dismay of islanders and visitors, British International Helicopters (BIH) is withdrawing the service, blaming rising costs, falling passenger numbers and a dispute with Tesco about the land in Penzance where its heliport is based.

The loss is a disappointment for holidaymakers who loved the thrilling – and speedy – trip. It is even more serious for islanders, however, who have come to rely on the helicopter when quick getaways are needed from Scilly, in particular for people with medical or mobility issues and for heavily pregnant women.

"It's a huge blow for the islands," said Marian Bennett, who campaigns on transport issues for the islands. "It's the closest we have to a lifeline service. It is sad for visitors and for the many people who rely on tourism here. But it very worrying for people with health or mobility problems who relied on the helicopter."

The loss of the service makes the islands much more isolated, especially in the winter months when the passenger boat, the Scillonian III, stops sailing. At those times the only way of getting to and from Scilly will be by plane.

Hoteliers, other businesses and the council of the Isles of Scilly are in negotiations with plane operators to try to make sure everyone who wants to travel to the islands can do so.

Robert Dorrien-Smith, who owns the island of Tresco and the exclusive Hell Bay hotel on Bryher is trying to promote Exeter as an air transport hub for Scilly (currently, the only all-year flights go from Land's End or Newquay) and remains optimistic that solutions can be found.

He said he was sad at the loss of the helicopter but added: "These islands have been inhabited for over 3,000 years. The reason for this is that successive generations of islanders have always had the ability to adapt to changes as they occur."

Of great concern to many islanders will be the extra problems for those with health issues. Carol Clarke, the co-ordinator of health watchdog LINk4Scilly, said there were huge worries on the islands, with many wheelchair users, people with mobility issues and older, frailer people expressing fears about getting on and off the small planes.

Clarke said restrictions on heavily pregnant women flying could mean some having to leave the islands weeks before their due date to make sure they can get to hospital on the mainland. "There are a lot of problems that need to be addressed," she said.

BIH described the loss of the service as "extremely sad" but insisted it had no alternative. It is in the process of selling the land where the heliport is based to Sainsbury's and planned to move to another site. It claimed that legal action taken by Tesco, among others, had delayed the deal and "created too many uncertainties for the passenger service to continue".

Tesco, which says that its legal move had all been about making sure the helicopter service continued, has now withdrawn its action but another private individual is continuing with a judicial review of the plans.

BIH said: "These legal challenges at this very late stage of the planning process have prevented BIH from completing the sale of the land and created too many uncertainties for the passenger service to continue.

"BIH has repeatedly stated that the land needed to be sold in a reasonable timeframe to release the capital required to continue the service."

The Scilly council chairman, Mike Hicks, said there was still hope that the helicopter service might be sold off and continued. But he added that the council was also in talks with the operators of the Scillonian III and the planes to make sure any slack is taken up.

New equipment has already been bought to help evacuate emergency cases on stretchers by plane. The Royal Navy's air sea rescue and the Cornwall air ambulance can be called on in emergencies. A new transport task group has been set up to oversee the improvement of St Mary's airport and to try to encourage more operators to open routes to Scilly.

But Hicks accepted the end of the helicopter service was a sad loss for Scilly. "It's been a very important service for the islands. It has served us well over 50 years," said Hicks. "Their last flight will be a sad day for Scilly, quite a historic day."