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ATR aircraft operating out of Alderney would need to restrict the number of passengers they could carry even if the island’s runway was extended to 1,100 metres, according to Aurigny’s Chief Executive Nico Bezuidenhout.
But Mr Bezuidenhout also says that using ATR aircraft on Alderney routes could still provide the island with "20,000 additional seats a year" even with the need to limit the weight of each flight.
The States' Trading Supervisory Board is currently carrying out a feasibility study on options to improve Alderney’s airport and runway. The various options being proposed can be read HERE.
"On shorter runways, all aircraft types are susceptible to weather and/or runway conditions that impact performance," said Mr Bezuidenhout.
He highlighted that Dornier aircraft, which are currently used by Aurigny on Alderney routes, "are restricted to 63% of available seats under direct crosswind and wet conditions".
Mr Bezuidenhout said that ATR-72-600 aircraft on Alderney’s air routes would "still be able to carry three times as many passengers as the Dornier" even during times of very poor weather.
Pictured: Aurigny is confident that using ATR-72s in Alderney instead of Dornier aircraft would provide the island with thousands of extra seats each year.
Aurigny also continues to argue that simplifying its fleet of aircraft would result in cost savings. This stance was backed up by President of the States’ Trading Supervisory Board, Deputy Peter Roffey.
"A simplified fleet reduces the cost of service delivery to any airline," said Deputy Roffey.
Mr Bezuidenhout said that any savings realised by extending the runway in Alderney, and therefore using one type of aircraft, would "represent a benefit, not to Aurigny, but to the States of Guernsey in the form of a reduced Alderney [public service obligation] subsidy".
“That should be the case regardless of which carrier delivers the public service obligation," he said.
Pictured: Deputy Peter Roffey, President of the States' Trading Supervisory Board, which sees various advantages in extending Alderney's runway.
Deputy Roffey insisted that the Alderney airport project is not about Aurigny or its aircraft:
"The fundamental objective is to address the condition of the current runway at Alderney Airport, as it is beyond its design life and requires extensive work," said Deputy Roffey.
He said extending the runway would "provide significant benefits for Alderney, in terms of additional seat capacity, improved resilience, reduced disruption and futureproofing".
"Whether or not there is a reasonable business case for that will depend on whether the additional construction costs can be repaid through future operational savings under the contract to operate the Alderney routes," he said.
Pictured (top): An ATR-72 600 aircraft. Credit: David Nash.
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