Aurigny offers reassurance and hope with new leased aircraft due next week

Thursday 22 August 2024

Aurigny, airport leaders and senior members of the committee that looks after them met for crunch talks yesterday after days of flight disruptions seriously dented confidence in the operations.

Serious delays have been impacting on Aurigny’s schedules because of technical problems with their fleet, a situation that was only heightened when air traffic control turned back a late night flight from Exeter on Sunday that was within sight of the runway because the airport was “closed”.

It would have missed its deadline by just 90 seconds.

The President and a senior officer from the States’ Trading Supervisory Board met jointly with the leadership of both Aurigny and Guernsey Ports.

The meeting focused on building an enhanced level of co-operation between the two businesses. 

Afterwards, STSB President Deputy Peter Roffey held a further meeting with Aurigny Chairman Kevin George and CEO Nico Bezuidenhout, and reinforced the frustrations that islanders and businesses have expressed in recent weeks.

The airline said it was confident that the arrival of another leased aircraft next week, which will bring the ATR fleet back up to five, will overcome the disruption that has occurred in the last week.

Deputy Roffey said the service both during this time, and earlier in the year, had fallen far below what islanders had a right to expect.

“We have made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that the level of disruption that has occurred during the airline’s ongoing fleet transition has been unacceptable. It has exposed a lack of resilience, and that has impacted a lot of islanders and on local businesses.

“In fairness to Aurigny’s management, they took active steps when they were hit by disruption in the early months of the year. We then saw a marked improvement, with June and July seeing the sort of reliability and performance that we have been used to in the past.

“Unfortunately the events of the past week have once again underlined there is still a lack of full resilience within the fleet.

“I am pleased that the airline has managed to secure another wet lease aircraft, which should be in service next week and that will hopefully have an immediate beneficial impact.”

Deputy Roffey said he was also confident that the Exeter incident would not be repeated.

“That incident was unprecedented, and having met with representatives of both Aurigny and Guernsey Ports, at which all parties had a very frank exchange of views, I am reassured that it will not ever happen again. I can only reiterate once again my profound apologies to all those who were affected.”