The Isles of Scilly Steamship Group has appointed a Managing Director of Skybus, its own airline which celebrated 40 years of service in 2024.
Jonathan Hinkles, a highly experienced airline executive with over 30 years in the industry, takes up the newly created role and will be responsible for all aspects of the airline’s operations.
His appointment is part of the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group’s commitment to return Skybus to sustainable profitability. Skybus provides year-round lifeline services from Land’s End and a seasonal service from Exeter and Cornwall Newquay airports to St Mary’s, carrying passengers and the islands’ mail and time-critical freight. It operates seven aircraft and has a team of 60 employees including 20 pilots and a 20-strong engineering team. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group.
Jonathan has been working with Skybus’s management team in an advisory capacity for the past six months and has been part of a team looking at operational matters as well as advising on a five-year strategy. He will now lead the Skybus management team in delivering this strategy, reporting to a newly formed Isles of Scilly Steamship Group Aviation Board committee.
Jonathan said: “I’m very much looking forward to getting started and meeting all of the Skybus team, together with the key stakeholders throughout Cornwall and Scilly who have a vested interest in the airline’s prosperity and success. Skybus has served the Isles of Scilly throughout its 40-year history, and delivering for Scilly will remain firmly at the heart of what we do far into the future.”
Jonathan brings over 30 years of aviation experience to Skybus, having started his career with Gatwick-based regional airline CityFlyer Express in 1993. He has held senior roles with charter airline Astraeus and with Virgin Atlantic, and most recently was Chief Executive of UK regional airline Loganair for eight years, where he led the team responsible for delivering lifeline air services throughout Scotland and beyond. Jonathan is also a regular columnist for industry magazine Airliner World.
Stuart Reid, Chief Executive of the Steamship Group, said: “Jonathan joins us at an exciting time for Skybus and we are delighted to welcome him to the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group. The appointment of a dedicated Managing Director for Skybus is a clear signal of our commitment to develop and grow our aviation interests. Jonathan’s undivided attention will be on making the airline successful and profitable whilst maintaining the record of safety and customer service that we have built up over our 40 years of operation.
“Jonathan’s extensive experience in the regional airline sector will be invaluable in driving progress after a number of challenging years both for the industry as a whole and for Skybus itself.”
Skybus launched on August 9th 1984 when the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group began offering an alternative to ferry travel to the islands.
Since then, the airline has carried more than two million passengers and thousands of tonnes of freight to the islands.
It carries in excess of 70,000 passengers annually from Land’s End, Newquay and Exeter airports to the Isles of Scilly. Skybus has been flying from Newquay and Exeter for more than 30 years and is Newquay’s longest serving airline.