DIRECT flights between Kent and the United States, due to take off in May, have been scrapped.

In what is a huge blow to Kent’s aspirations to become an international aviation hub, Cosmos, the Bromley-based holiday operator, and Kent County Council pulled the plug to avert huge potential losses.

Only 800 tickets - 600 British and 200 American - had been sold in the six months since the weekly service between Kent International Airport and Norfolk International Airport, Virginia, was announced in September. The flights, to be operated by Monarch Airlines, had a total capacity of 10,000 seats.

Cosmos had asked KCC to give financial guarantees. But senior KCC members turned down the request at an emergency meeting on Tuesday night.

KCC, already scarred by the collapse of EUjet nearly two years ago and the loss of £100,000, is likely to lose another six-figure sum already invested in the ill-fated project.

It is also another political blow to the council which has gambled on the flights cementing growing social, educational and business links with Virginia.

The service was due to launch just days before the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, Virginia, by 105 settlers from England, including some from Kent, in 1607.

A decision to abort the service had already been considered on two previous occasions because of weak ticket sales. But it was put off in the hope that bookings would pick up after a publicity blitz in local and national newspapers.

This failed to happen. Depite the weak dollar, the new service was hit by a significant downturn in holiday bookings to North America across the travel industry. Passenger were put off by fears of terrorism and tough US visa requirements.

KCC leader Paul Carter, said: "The direct flights project was just one part of our initiatives to regenerate East Kent. It was a calculated risk that had significant potential and could have delivered major benefits for the region. Enormous efforts have been made on both sides of the Atlantic to promote the flights.

"But, despite putting back the deadline for decision three times, in order to see if the market would respond and pick up, sales have failed to reach a critical mass.

"In the absence of any other organisation prepared to share the financial risk of continuing with the project, it would not be prudent or viable to invest public money in the venture."

Cosmos said it was very disappointed. The Virginia Beaches and Beyond programme is one of its very few new holiday ventures to be cancelled. It declined to say how much money it would cost the company.

Cosmos pledged that all customers booked to travel would be offered the choice of a full refund or an alternative Cosmos holiday. The company already offers holidays in Virginia.

Stuart Jackson, product and commercial director: "Despite huge sales and marketing efforts from within the company and indeed everyone involved in the project including our industry partners in the USA, the bookings generated have not met targets.

"This is due partly to the general downturn in bookings currently experienced to the USA. Everyone concerned is deeply disappointed with the outcome."