Penzance Helicopters has welcomed its first passengers on board for the new helicopter service flying direct from the UK mainland to Tresco and St Mary's on the Isles of Scilly.

Despite unforeseen international delays to the arrival of the AW139 helicopter, the service has launched promptly using an interim AW109SP helicopter from Sloane Helicopters' fleet. Coupled with the success of the Penzance Heliport build, Penzance Helicopters, powered by Sloane, is thrilled with the formation of the highly-anticipated service and is excited to welcome more passengers on board in the future. As the central hub for the service, the team at the heliport will be on hand to answer any customer queries.

Sloane MD Jeremy Awenat says: “It's an enormous credit to everyone who has been involved in the intricate planning, construction and creation of the only scheduled helicopter service to the Isles of Scilly. Today we find ourselves celebrating the launch of this long-awaited, resilient service. The inaugural flight departed from the new Penzance Heliport at 8:00am on Tuesday 17th March, 2020, before touching down on St Mary's in just 15 minutes. The year-round service will offer a boost to the social and economic future of the Isles of Scilly and west Cornwall, further strengthening the islands' transport links, benefitting both residents and visitors alike.”

The sleek new travel operation offers the fastest and most convenient service from the mainland to the islands, taking just 15 minutes. The exciting, accessible and reliable year-round service operates up to 17 flights per day, six days a week.

The reintroduction of the long-awaited service follows a significant demand from the locals to reinstate a helicopter link to the islands after the closure of the previous service, which operated successfully for over 48 years until October 2012.

The new service is operated by Sloane Helicopters, one of the UK's leading onshore helicopter operators with 49 years' experience, in partnership with Tresco Estate. The near sea level heliport location in Penzance, combined with the outstanding aircraft performance and safety characteristics, offers enhanced weather resilience and reliability, minimising disruption to passenger journeys.