This September marks the 80th anniversary of flights from Land’s End to the Isles of Scilly – and to celebrate, Isles of Scilly Travel is giving away 8 return flights from Land’s End to St Mary’s with Skybus, worth £140 each.
The first flight from Land’s End Airport to Scilly left on September 15th, 1937, launched by Cobham Air Routes, which later became Olley Air Service. Planes landed on St Mary’s Golf Course in those days, and were the iconic de Havilland Dragons, later the de Havilland Dragon Rapides.
St Mary’s Airport was established in 1939 and after a break during the War , passenger services continued, taken over by BEA in 1947, and later by Scillonia Airways in 1966 flying Rapides.
The Isles of Scilly’s Skybus service began operating in 1984, with scheduled services launched in April 1987 using Islanders and de Havilland Twin Otters, and Skybus continues today, though Land’s End Airport is much changed, most notably after a £1 million passenger terminal was opened by the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group in April 2013 to expand and upgrade facilities on the site.
The 80th anniversary of the first flights from Land’s End is being marked with an event at the airport for staff and guests on October 4th, but Isles of Scilly Travel is also celebrating the milestone by giving away 8 return flights from Land’s End to Scilly.
All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning a return flight from Land’s End to Scilly is to explain, in 80 characters or less (around 15-25 words) why you’d like to visit the Isles of Scilly, posting a message to one of Isles of Scilly Travel’s social media channels – on either Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Eight lucky winners will soar into the skies on a Skybus Twin Otter or Islander plane and soak up truly magical aerial views of this breathtaking archipelago from the air on the all-too-brief 15 minute flight before landing at St Mary’s Airport to discover the destination that’s like nowhere else in England.
After finding out why Cornwall’s Caribbean is a world apart from the rest of the UK and explore five inhabited islands for a day, a long weekend or even a week or two, they’ll enjoy one last bird’s eye view of the islands as they fly back to Cornwall with Skybus.
Sharon Sandercock, Marketing and Communications Manager of the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group, said: “This autumn is a very special anniversary for Land’s End Airport, and we really wanted to celebrate this milestone with our customers and our local communities, so we are giving away eight return flights with Skybus from Land’s End to Scilly.
“Flying to the islands is such a special way to arrival on Scilly, and the views from the sky are just incredible as you come in to land, so whether you’ve always wanted to visit and never seen Scilly before, or you know and love the islands but would like to go back, tell us why you’d like to visit, and be in with a chance of winning a free return flight.”
Leave your messages, along with the hashtag #FlyScilly, on the Isles of Scilly Travel Facebook page competition post, or post directly to the page; Tweet @IOSTravel, or comment on an Instagram post at the IOST account, before the closing date of October 5th 2017.
You must also ensure you ‘like’ the Isles of Scilly Travel Facebook or Instagram page, or follow @IOSTravel on Twitter, when posting your message, so that you can be contacted if you are successful.
The 8 most creative messages chosen by the Isles of Scilly Travel team will win a return flight, able to be taken on dates of your choice in either 2017 or 2018, excluding peak school holiday periods, August, Bank Holiday weekends and events, and bookings are subject to availability on requested dates. Prize tickets do not include accommodation on Scilly.
For full terms and conditions, see the website for full details at www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk/win-a-ticket-to-isles-of-scilly-2/