Runway extension "won't be a game changer"

Thursday 13 December 2018

Policy & Resources wants to stop the States from spending any more tax payers money on investigating the idea of extending the runway, but the Economic Development President may have dropped an Easyjet shaped spanner in their plans.

The committee announced yesterday that it has taken the stance that any extension would not be finically viable or a game changer, and it will ask the States to drop the idea in a policy letter to be presented in the first quarter of 2019.

Deputy Lyndon Trott, P&R Vice President, said this to the States yesterday, when giving an update on the Air and Sea Transport Links report that has been carried out by PWC. 

He told the States, P&R unanimously agreed there was not strong enough evidence that any extension would see a financial return, and any extension that would make a real difference would require St Peter's to be bulldozed. 

"The Policy & Resources Committee has reached the conclusion that the option of extending the airport runway will not be a game changer in respect of our connectivity," Deputy Trott said.

"The truth of the matter is that if were to extend the runway to the length that PWC indicate that it would be a game changer, we would need a huge and complex planning inquiry, probably to bulldoze part of St Peters, and enormous investment on which there may never be a return.

"The Policy & Resources Committee does not believe that the community nor the political body has the appetite for that. Therefore spending hundreds of thousands of pounds of tax payers' money on listing the pros and cons of a set of runway extensions that are unlikely to be built in our lifetime will not be a worthwhile exercise."

Pictured: P&R plan on bringing a policy letter to the States in Q1 2019 - the whole air & sea links report will be an appendix to that letter. 

However, the ED President was surprised by that and told his Twitter followers it was a 'bizarre' move. He questioned what evidence that decision had been based on and his concerns were echoed by the Chair of the Guernsey branch of the IoD, John Clacy. 

This is quite an extraordinary decision which may have been lost in other uk politics today - surely such a contentious and long running issue needed a thorough costed review - a day to bury bad news ? https://t.co/jTBx4galfM

— John Clacy (@JohnClacy1) December 12, 2018

Deputy Charles Parkinson then dropped a revelation on Twitter, suggesting that Easyjet does want to fly to Guernsey and that there have been further discussions with the globally branded budget airline about running services to and from the island with a shorter runway than had been previously mooted.

That development was welcomed by Mr Clacy and David Piesing, who has been a vocal advocate of the benefits of sports tourism to Guernsey.

Pictured: Part of the Twitter thread which revealed Easyjet does apparently want to fly to Guernsey.

The policy letter which P&R said it will bring to the States during the first quarter of next year will give the States the final say on the runway matter, but P&R said it will ask deputies to vote to stop the government spending any more tax payer money on investigations about how feasible the runway extension would be. So if the States do not agree with this recommendation, they will be able to vote it down, but Deputy Trott urged members to think about what exactly it was the community wanted.

"Let me be clear then, on the Policy & Resources Committee's position as it concludes its review," he said.

"What islanders consistently tell us is that they want frequency, what a longer runway offers is potentially less frequency as larger aeroplanes rotate routes less frequently. What Economic Development wants is choice; a longer runway does not guarantee choice - airlines could start flying in on the current runway if they see a business case.

"What our island wants is an island airline with the right fleet and a commitment to the island - not a procession of so-called brand airlines cherry picking routes every summer." 

Further, Deputy Gavin St Pier - Guernsey's President of P&R, Chief Minister and effectively the island's Chancellor - acknowledged there is much more to discuss on the runway issue, and that the matter is far from closed. 

We think there’s evidence (inc from PwC review, to be published with policy letter, Q1 2019) on which to base decision without spending another 6 figure sum. (Analogy: EIAs on quarries.) But it’s controversial/important decision so States will be given chance to direct more work.

— Gavin St Pier (@gavinstpier) December 12, 2018

Deputy Trott also urged people to consider that the potential of air links was wider than just the runway and how long it was. The new open skies policy could still yield results, he said, and Aurigny were seeking to buy a new fleet of ATRs. That will be debated later this week. 

Pictured top: Deputy Lyndon Trott.