Thick fog yesterday morning isn’t the only reason flight disruption is likely to continue throughout today.
Aurigny said that the fog has caused knock-on disruption after some flights were cancelled but maintenance was later required for an ATR 72-500 aircraft being wet leased from Jump Air.
That aircraft, LYJUP, completed the morning flights to and from Southampton but was then pulled from service.
An Avanti Air Dash 8-Q400, D-AASG, was also used yesterday completing a morning flight from Birmingham to the island after having to divert to Exeter. It was later used on the first afternoon London Gatwick flight, which didn’t arrive in the UK until 19:26.
It’s being used on some Southampton, Gatwick and the East Midlands flights today.
Issues have also arisen with Aurigny’s new long-term leased ATR 72-600, G-PEMB, after it was trialled with passengers last Friday.
It completed two rotations to London Gatwick on 9 August for what the airline called a “soft launch”, but it's now been pulled out of service for repairs.
“While it performed well, some expected teething issues have emerged post-initial service. Our engineering team is currently addressing these to ensure readiness for a full flying program,” Aurigny said.
Pictured: G-PEMB was trialled last Friday but "teething issues" arose.
Several flights turned back to the UK after circling overhead yesterday, unable to divert to Jersey due to equally poor conditions there.
The first flight to get in was the 08:35 from London Gatwick, which touched down at around 11:00 just minutes after the fog cleared.
The red-eye Alderney flight was pulled, and later the Exeter flights were cancelled as well as the evening flights to and from London City, and the 16:30 flight to London Gatwick.
The outbound Birmingham flight was delayed for several hours.
Today, several flights are facing disruption with delays to the late morning and late afternoon Gatwick flight, Dublin, Liverpool and London City.
The evening Birmingham flight is facing a three-hour delay.
“We apologise for the inconvenience caused to our passengers due to these unforeseen circumstances. Our team is working diligently to minimise the impact and is actively reaching out to all affected passengers,” a spokesperson said.
“We encourage passengers to visit the Aurigny Disruptions page for the latest updates. Additionally, up-to-date flight information can be found on the Guernsey Airport Arrivals and Departures page.
“Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time. Our priority remains the safety and satisfaction of our passengers.”
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