Jersey Aircraft Registry axed, while Guernsey's seems to fly high

Tuesday 01 November 2022

Jersey's ill-fated Aircraft Registry has officially been axed after losing its final aircraft last week.

Jersey's Economic Development Minister Deputy Kirsten Morel said the decision was based on JAR's "commercial underperformance, which does not represent value for Jersey taxpayers".

He said that "additional investment would be needed to enhance its regulatory compliance" - something the island's Government is not offering to provide.

Since its launch in 2015, just four aircraft have been registered in Jersey. Amid difficulties in attracting aircraft, the registry relaunched in 2018 and 2021.

The latest relaunch saw the JAR brand itself as the "world's first" to use blockchain technology - but this wasn't enough to attract any newcomers, with just three on the list by March of this year.

Over the following months, each pulled out - in April, July and then finally last Thursday, 27 October.

Pictured: The Jersey Aircraft Registry lost its final aircraft last week, according to the official listing.

By contrast, Guernsey's aircraft registry - known as 2-Reg - has been deemed "healthy" with "a lot of activity".

The most recent update on its performance was published at the end of August - when there were 283 aircraft registered, down from 289 a year earlier.

There had been a review of 2-Reg in 2021 which set a new priory list for its activities. This included:

• re-identification of its overall aims and objectives
• an analysis of income and expenditure
• an organisational structure review done in consultation with the UK DfT to ensure compliance with international aviation safety legislation
• a review of its service offering and
• a strategy for future commercial growth

Above: The statistics released by 2-Reg at the end of August 2022.

The two key objectives for the Aircraft Registry are for it to operate at 'zero cost to the States as a minimum' and 'to generate a direct profit and to facilitate incremental GDP for the aviation sector and the wider Guernsey economy'.

The review published at the end of the summer said that the first objective has been achieved "with a zero-cost position and indeed direct profit generated for the States of Guernsey in its operation of the Aircraft Registry".

At the end of August, the Committee for Economic Development, which oversees 2_Reg, said it is "performing positively" although "it is acknowledged that there is more work to do".

Express asked what the profit was when the review was published at the end of August and we have asked for further details again this morning.

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