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The States of Alderney is demanding action from Guernsey politicians over the 'huge deterioration' in Aurigny's air links in recent weeks.
Chairman of the Policy and Finance Committee James Dent told Deputy Gavin St Pier, President of the Policy and Resources Committee, that failures of the airline were threatening the "survival of Alderney as a community".
It follows an open letter penned by resident Barbara Benfield, signed by more than 700 people and handed to every States Member and Deputy in Guernsey and Alderney, detailing individual travel woes and pleading for improvement.
Pictured: One of Aurigny's Dornier aircraft.
The Alderney service has been fraught with cancellations and long delays this month. Over the past week just one Dornier in Aurigny's fleet has been serving both of the Island's routes.
A cancelled flight from Southampton on Monday saw around 19 passengers informed they would have to wait up to a week to get to Alderney. An international delegation from the Holocaust Remembrance Alliance was stuck in Guernsey for 25 hours waiting to get to Alderney. Delegates to a prestigious environment conference were delayed and many arrived without luggage. A man travelling to Alderney from Guernsey to say goodbye to his dying father arrived too late to do so because of a cancelled flight.
Mr Dent wrote: "Over the last few weeks we have experienced a huge deterioration in the air links which connect Alderney with Guernsey and the United Kingdom. The impact has been devastating for residents, visitors and our economy. We are still counting the cost.
"This is not about weather. We all know that weather delays occur and disrupt our lives from time to time. It’s part of Island life. Over recent weeks you have heard directly from Alderney residents who are rightly making their voices heard about this issue. Barbara Benfield has been diligent in bringing the concerns of many people
forward through a petition. And others have written directly to you and your colleagues in the States of Guernsey.
"I strongly urge you to listen and respond to these voices. They are not making unreasonable demands. They are drawing your attention to a crisis in the quality and level of service which threatens the survival of Alderney as a community. This is an entirely avoidable situation and yet here we are."
He went on to chronicle some of the problems people had encountered.
"Delays of up to five days, diversions and cancellations have been far too frequent. There is no capacity to catch-up when delays occur. This is not just about disrupted travel plans – there is a wider human impact. There is a lack of available seats for people wishing to return home after treatment for life-threatening conditions. Imagine being made to spend three days unnecessarily when all you want to do is get home and recover.
"There has been a significant impact on attendees of the Inter-Island Environmental Meeting and Wilder Islands Conference taking place in Alderney at the moment. An international delegation from the Holocaust Remembrance Alliance has been stranded in Guernsey for over 25 hours.
"All of this impacts on the reputation of the Bailiwick as a whole. Added to this is a paucity of timely information and customer care. I know these are not things which you and your colleagues in the States of Guernsey intend, but they are our current reality."
Pictured: Deputy Gavin St Pier received the letter during the last week.
Aurigny is currently tendering for the Alderney air links in a Public Service Obligation process. The States of Guernsey is Aurigny's biggest shareholder and it is overseen by the States Trading Supervisory Board. Mr Dent pointed out that the airline – founded in Alderney to connect Alderney to the wider world – was bought with money pooled from both islands and purchased in the knowledge that Alderney's connectivity would need to be maintained. He finished his letter by imploring that as the airline's owner, the States of Guernsey took action.
"You own the provider on our collective behalf and you set the standards and obligations to which they work.
"So this plea comes straight to you as the President of Policy and Resources. This issue needs leadership and commitment. Act now to resolve these failures and to provide a robust and resilient service so that Alderney is accessible, safe and economically sustainable."
States of Alderney Chief Executive Andrew Muter said they had not yet had a response to their letter from P&R.
Residents took to social media to register approval of the letter with one calling it "cogent and measured". But there were also suggestions that the States take more radical action such as threatening court action or taking the issue up with the Civil Aviation Authority.
Aurigny has apologised to customers for disruption experienced. The airline said: ‘Passengers who have been unable to get to Alderney due to weather or technical delays are being moved to the next available flight.'
Pictured top: James Dent and Alderney Airport.
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