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Key decisions and oversight taken by Aurigny’s management, as well as the objectives set for it by deputies, will be the key elements scrutinised in the upcoming independent review of the airline.
The States Trading Supervisory Board, which oversees Aurigny, announced last week that a consultant would be appointed to study its troubled year which has seen prolonged disruption and declining public confidence.
The Board has now published the terms of reference for the job ahead of an independent expert being appointed to carry it out.
The reviewer has been tasked with finding out if the States-owned airline can reliably operate its planned schedules - particularly on lifeline routes - including consideration of crew rotas and the aircraft types used.
It will also probe the procedures the airline has in place to get things back in order “in a timely manner” following a period of poor weather or technical difficulties, as well as how key routes are prioritised in these moments.
The second part of the inquiry will delve into Aurigny’s fleet transition which saw it sell the Embraer 195 jet in favour of ATRs, looking to see if the transition plan was implemented properly and if it resulted in the high level of delays and cancellations since February.
The results should identify the causes of issues, where blame should lie, if the correct decisions were taken by management at the right times, and whether the risks of the transition were appropriately mapped out.
The expert will also connect the dots between the airline’s performance and the objectives set for it by politicians.
Aurigny last week said it welcomed the review, saying anything to improve resilience and reliability was positive.
Pictured: CEO Nico Bezuidenhout.
The air route policy was approved by the States in 2021 and requires that the airline:
Protects the essential routes at Gatwick, Southampton and Alderney;
Maintains its number of slots at Gatwick;
Is financially breakeven;
Balances the fleet better with owned and leased aircraft;
Operates a wider network of flights where there’s demand, including to non-British destinations;
Develops relationships with other airlines; and
Creates in-island employment.
Today, Aurigny has received its latest wet leased aircraft as it battles with repeated issues on other aircraft.
It comes in to replace the ATR 72-500 leased from Jump Air which was grounded after what the Air Accident Investigation branch labelled “serious incident” when the flight crew attempted to land and performed a go around in heavy fog just 56ft above Guernsey’s runway.
This was well below the minimum altitude for those weather conditions, and the aircraft returned to Southampton. It later flew to Toulouse after a landing gear fault was identified.
Aurigny said it couldn’t comment on the ongoing investigation.
“This precludes us from currently extending their existing engagement and prompted their replacement,” the airline said on Facebook.
“The replacement entity which will commence flying with us on Tuesday, has a fleet of 45 aircraft including several ATR 72-500s, is familiar with UK and Channel Islands operations, and experienced in the provision of wet lease capacity to flag carriers, including Iberia.”
Aurigny expects its fifth and final long-leased ATR to arrive in mid-October, which is when the latest arrival from Swift Air has been signed for.
STSB orders independent review of Aurigny’s fleet restructure
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