Normally, if you consider air travel within United Kingdom you tend to think of airports such as London and the southeast. However, southwest UK has seen a lot of development in air travel of late and is becoming more attractive to holidaymakers from Devon, Cornwall and Somerset. Usually they can now find a flight to their destination without having to travel to London first. Here are a few examples of the Westcountry's busiest airports.

Exeter International Airport
Consumer flights began from Exeter Airport (EXT) around 1946 when it was handed over by the RAF who used it as a wartime base. By 1952 Exeter Airport was offering short haul overseas flights to the Channel Islands with the 1980s seeing its services solidified and its reputation for being the most important airport within the region. Today the airport also offers many internal flights to many cities like Glasgow, Edinburgh and Belfast.

Plymouth City Airport
Sadly, Plymouth Airport has seen little growth over the past years; despite its history that goes back to 1923. In recent years the airport did boast some services to internal destinations; the Channel Islands and France; but by September 2007 it looked as if the airport would close due to the proposed sale of its second runway for industrial development.

Newquay Cornwall Airport
Internal services commenced at Newquay during the middle of the 20th century; it wasn't until 1975 that British Midland Airways constructed a fully-fledged passenger terminal. By the end of the 1970s, flights to the Channel Islands and a new civil terminal allowed the airport to process more passengers. Newquay now offers flights within the UK and across Europe.

Bristol International Airport
Bristol airport is one of the fastest growing airports in the UK and processed over 6 million passengers in 2008. Due to this, Bristol is by far Westcountry's busiest airport and has the widest range of services including airport parking and excellent connections to Wales and south west England. Bristol has the most comprehensive number of services to Europe from the area, including: Brussels, Amsterdam and Trieste, whilst it also offers international flights to destinations as diverse as: Tenerife, Sharm el-Sheikh, and Orlando.

Cardiff Wales Airport
Cardiff Airport is not strictly located in South West England; but in South Wales. It handles about 2 million passengers each year and has been a major hub for passenger travel since the mid 50's. Sadly, Cardiff has lost out in recent years partly due to its close proximity to Bristol airport which is widely considered to be the best in the region. Cardiff still offers some good flights though and is a definite hub for local and national business travel.