Isles of Scilly Skybus

Is Isles of Scilly Skybus safe?

Yes. Skybus, the airline that links Cornwall and Devon with the Isles of Scilly, has no fatal accident and no write-offHull lossAn accident in which an aircraft is destroyed or damaged beyond economic repair. People may or may not be hurt.More in the glossary on record in more than 40 years of flying, and the UK's accident investigators have looked at it only once in the last decade. It flies under the UK Civil Aviation Authority. We score it 79. The score is held back not by its record but by what it flies and where: Twin Otters and Islanders that are mostly over 40 years old, landing on one of the most demanding runways in British commercial aviation.

St Mary's: a short runway on a hill

Every Skybus flight starts or ends at St Mary's, the only airport on the islands. Its main runway, 27, is 522 metres long and 18 metres wide. The UK Aeronautical Information Publication, quoted by the AAIB, tells pilots to "exercise extreme caution" because the surface is markedly hump-backed, with slopes as steep as 1 in 13 at the ends, and because turbulence and windshear can affect the final half mile.

That is why Skybus flies small aircraft built for this kind of strip and why its rules are strict. The AAIB report on the 2023 incident lists them: lower wind limits for less experienced pilots and at night, a check-out with a training captain before any pilot lands at St Mary's, and stabilised approaches only. The mainland ends of the routes are easier. Exeter and Cornwall Airport Newquay are full commercial airports, and in 2021 the CAA approved a radio-mandatory zone between Land's End and St Mary's so that pilots know who else is in the air. The environment scores 62, below Loganair's Scottish islands at 70, because here there is no easy runway in the network for most flights.

The one serious incident

On 13 March 2023, a Twin Otter from Land's End landed on runway 27 with 15 passengers after several flights that day had been cancelled for wind. The wind had eased to within limits, but on the ground a gust lifted the right wing, the aircraft turned into the wind and began to leave the paved surface. The commander, a training captain with 5,000 hours on the type, applied full power and went around. The aircraft ran about 12 metres across the grass before it lifted off, then landed normally on the second try. Nobody was hurt and there was no damage.

The AAIB found the gust and the amount of aileron the captain held at the moment of touchdown caused the swing, and said his "decision to go around prevented a more serious outcome". Skybus said it would put a live wind plot and a webcam view of St Mary's in its crew room at Land's End, so pilots can see the gusts before they set off. We count this as a serious incident handled well; it is the only one we found since 2016.

How old are Skybus's aircraft?

Very old, though the type is the right one. Skybus flies DHC-6 Twin Otters, usually seated for 17 to 19 passengers, and smaller BN-2 Islanders with eight passenger seats. In 2023 its Twin Otters averaged 43.8 years old, according to Planespotters data quoted by Simple Flying; the one in the 2023 incident was built in 1980.

The newest arrival shows how this end of the market works. G-NETS, which joined in late 2025 for the Alderney routes, was built in 1969, had two runway excursionsRunway excursionWhen an aircraft leaves the runway surface during take-off or landing, either off the end (an overrun) or off the side (a veer-off).More in the glossary with an Indonesian operator in 2008 and 2009, and was then rebuilt in Canada over more than a year with new fuselage panels, new Pratt & Whitney engines and a Garmin glass cockpit. Rebuilt Twin Otters can fly safely for decades, but old airframes need more inspection, and a small fleet has little slack: when Storm Goretti damaged a Twin Otter and the hangars at Land's End on 8 January 2026, the winter maintenance ran two months late. Fleet scores 40.

A stretched airline in 2026

2026 has been hard for Skybus. It ran a Newquay–London Gatwick route from November 2025, using other airlines' aircraft and crews, starting with a wet-leased Ascend Airways Boeing 737, and stopped it in April 2026 when fuel prices rose. It suspended Exeter flights until June after the storm damage, then cut Newquay flights for the summer, blaming "a shortage of both aircraft and qualified pilots". By October it had a new chief executive, Stuart Reid, and that month staff sickness disrupted the Alderney flights it runs for Aurigny.

None of this is a safety finding, and cancelling rather than stretching crews is the safe response. It does mean that if you need to reach Scilly on a set day, the ferry or a day's margin is part of the plan.

Flying Skybus: practical points

• Expect weather holds. Flights wait or cancel when wind or fog at St Mary's is outside limits. Book the first flight of the day if you have a ferry or train to catch, since it leaves the most room to rebook.
• Check the baggage allowance before you pack. Space and weight are tight on a 19-seat aircraft, and Skybus sets its own limits.
• On the Islander, you may sit next to the pilot. There is no cabin crew on either type, so listen to the pilot's briefing on belts and exits.
• Alderney passengers are on Skybus too. If your Aurigny booking is to or from Alderney, the aircraft and crew are Skybus's.

How we scored it

The accident record (92) and UK oversight (86, no IOSAIOSAThe IATA Operational Safety Audit, an international audit of an airline's safety management and operations. Every IATA member must pass it.More in the glossary) carry Skybus. One well-handled serious incident in ten years gives incidents 85. The fleet (40) and St Mary's (environment 62) pull it down to 79, level with Loganair.