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A commercial aviation expert will be appointed to review the aircraft used by Aurigny following the departure of the Embraer jet and the significant and sustained disruption since.
The States’ Trading Supervisory Board commissioned the review this week after meeting with the airline’s executives following a renewed period of flight disruption.
The Board, which oversees Aurigny, said it was warranted to see if a fleet of five ATRs and the two Dornier which serve Alderney can serve the islands’ interests.
The review will also probe whether management could have better predicted some of the problems during the transition.
While it was noted that Aurigny’s board of directors approved changes to the fleet, as well as the plan for managing the transition, the former was also signed off by the STSB and the States Assembly.
Deputy Peter Roffey, STSB President, accepted that some of the disruption has been caused by factors outside the airline’s control, such as a worldwide shortage of ATR parts, difficulties with leasing companies, and bad weather.
But he said the island must have confidence that reliability will return.
“The Board of Aurigny signed off the fleet transition as well as the plans for how it would be managed. The recent experience raises questions as to how good that plan was, and more importantly how well-equipped the airline will be going forward to deliver the island’s lifeline air connectivity, which is vital for islanders and for the economy,” he said.
Pictured: Aurigny waved goodbye to its flagship aircraft, the Embraer 195, earlier this year.
“The review will therefore focus firstly on whether the current timetable can be reliably delivered using five ATRs, with a high degree of resilience.
“Secondly why the fleet transition process has led to periods where that resilience has fallen well below the levels Guernsey has a right to expect.
“The STSB expects the full engagement of the Aurigny’s Board of directors with the inquiry. They are accountable for the airline’s performance, and as part of this review we want to understand the board’s effectiveness in the decision-making and approvals process.
“I met with the Chairman of Aurigny yesterday, and he has given me assurance of his Board’s unreserved co-operation.”
Aurigny also welcomed the review, with a spokesperson saying that after a difficult first half of the year it understands "the importance of providing islanders, visitors, and businesses with reliable and resilient air links. This independent review aims to ensure just that.
“We hope this review will reassure the Guernsey public that we are doing everything we can to provide them with a resilient and dependable service that is fit for purpose.”
The terms of reference for the review are being drawn up will be published once approved, but it is unclear when the reviewer will be appointed and how long the investigations will take.
Pictured (top): An ATR-72. Credit (David Nash).
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