Newquay Cornwall Airport

Newquay / St Mawgan

EGHQ · NQY

1933-

3.5 nm ENE of Newquay, Newquay, Cornwall, Cornwall

50.442542, -4.996675 · 390 feet

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Location C/N Tracking

GA Parking, Carloggas Farm, Mawgan-in-Pydar, Carloggas, Cornwall, England, TR8 4EQ, United Kingdom

Nearby Locations

		Km
St Eval		3.9	001°
RNAS St Merryn / HMS Curlew		7.0	011°
Royal Cornwall Showground	GBWAB	12.0	049°
Penhale Camp		12.7	239°
Polzeath Airstrip		14.9	028°
Perranporth	EGTP	18.0	226°

Opened as a grass strip in Aug 1933 at Trebelzue Big Field, near Newquay. At the outbreak of WWII, it was requistioned as RAF Trebelzue and all civilian flying was stopped. It initially served as a satellite of nearby RAF St. Eval but was expanded with twin concrete runways by Dec 1941. In Feb 1943 it was re-named RAF St. Mawgan. In Jun 1943, the USAAF arrived and carried out a number of major improvements, including a new control tower and a further extension of the main runway. On 1 Jul 1947, the base was put under maintenance.

In Apr 1951 the station's 41 year Maritime Reconnaisance story began with the Lancaster MR.3, followed in Dec 1956 by the Shackelton MR.3s from RAF St. Eval, just up the road. In Mar 1965, Shackelton T.4s arrived from RAF Kinloss. During Oct 1969, the first Nimrod MR.1s arrived with 236 OCU. The last Shackelton with 42 Squadron left RAF St. Mawgan on 23 Sep 1971. Nimrod MR.2s began to appear from 1977 but with a further HM Treasury-led rationalisation, the last Nimrod (again with 42 Squadron) departed for RAF Kinloss in 1992.

Search and Rescue operations had been conducted by 22 Squadron A Flight between Apr 1956 and Nov 1958 with the Whirlwind HAR.2. 1360 Flight formed in Jan 1958 with the Whirlwind HAR.4 and was renumbered 217 Squadron in Feb 1958 before it detatched to Christmas Island in the Pacific Ocean. 22 Squadron HQ remained here until Apr 1974 when it transferred to RAF Thorney Island but returned from RAF Finningley in Dec 1992 before departing to RMB Chivenor in Sep 1997. RAF St. Mawgan was home to the Sea King OCU, known as 203(R) Squadron from Oct 1996 until its departure to RAF Valley in Aug 2008.

It was announced by the Ministry of Defence that ownership of the airfield facilities would pass to Cornwall County Council on 1 April 2007, following the end of the SERCO contract for the base. The RAF would continue to own the military buildings on the south of the site and would provide operational support until 1 Dec 2007, which was subsequently extended to 1 Dec 2008. The RAF met all its obligations but the transition into civilian operation was not smooth and there was a period of almost 3 weeks when flying had to cease in Dec 2008 until CAA certification was granted. Cornwall Council was in command, but not in control: on 20 Dec the airport re-opened as Newquay Cornwall Airport with the old ICAO code of EGDG being replaced by EGHQ.

The RAF base is to the south west of the main runway, the civil terminal to the north and Bristow is building a SAR complex to the north east (near the old Shackleton dispersal, beside Carloggas) to service its UK SAR obligations until 2026. Since May 2010, the RAF barracks also temporarily houses military personnel, involved in training exercises at the Penhale Training Area.

As a result of the UKSRR SAR service main contract award from Apr 2015, Bristow will be building new SAR facilities due to transition here from 771 NAS Sea Kings (from the RNAS Culdrose site), on 1 Jan 2016.

Cornwall Air Ambulance operates at the extreme south east side of the airfield, from a purpose built facility at Trevithick Downs.

The Airport has seen a boost, becoming the UKs Horizontal Launch Facility as Spaceport Cornwall. As well as the launch facility, it houses payload assembly, integration and propulsion testing. It is part of the Cornwall Space Cluster, which amongst others, has the Satellite Earth Station at Goonhilly Downs as an Earth Segment support component.

February 2015, RAF St Mawgan is only a ground station now with no access to the airfield estate, this being operated by Newquay Cornwall Airport Ltd. They are two completely seperate entities seperated by a rather large security fence but maintain a close working relationship. It is not true to say that St Mawgan remains a Military Emergency Diversion Airfield.

Units

			Abrev
1952-1955	Air/Sea Warfare Development Unit	ASWDU
1956-1974	22 Squadron
1957-1958	1360 (Helicopter) Flight1360 Flt		1360 Flt
1958-1959	217 Squadron
1989-	Cornwall Air AmbulanceCornwall Amb		Cornwall Amb
1992-1997	22 Squadron
1993-1996	Sea King Training UnitSKTU		SKTU
1996-2008	203(R) Squadron
2012-	Flag Officer Sea TrainingFOST		FOST
2016-	Newquay sector

News

Cornwall Air Ambulance Second AW169 into Service

Aug 5, 2025 · Cornwall Air Ambulance second Leonardo AW169 helicopter, G-CNLL, goes into operation for the first time
Second AW169 Helicopter for Cornwall Air Ambulance

Jul 8, 2025 · Cornwall Air Ambulance received its second lifesaving Leonardo AW169 helicopter at the charity’s airbase in Newquay
Cornwall Air Ambulance Renews Operations Contract with Castle Air

May 7, 2025 · Cornwall Air Ambulance in the UK extended its contract with Castle Air, who has been the charity’s air operations partner since 2021
Supporters Names Added to Cornwall Ambulance

Jun 1, 2020 · More than 1,000 names of supporters who help raise money for the New Heli Appeal under the Heli Heroes campaign were painted underside Cornwall Air Ambulance new AW169 ambulance helicopter
Cornwall Air Ambulance Celebrating 30 Years

Apr 3, 2017 · In April 1987, Cornwall became the first place in the UK to launch an air ambulance helicopter service.
Bristow Hosts Air Scouts At Newquay

Dec 1, 2016 · Over 250 Air Scouts enjoyed a trip to Bristow’s search and rescue helicopter (SAR) base in Newquay as part of the organization’s 75-year anniversary celebrations.

Dec 15, 2015 · HM Coast Guard Newquay SAR Service Launch

May 20, 2015 · UK SAR Base at Newquay Cornwall Airport

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