OPINION: Businesses "quietly moving off island"

Tuesday 03 September 2024

GAAG is very aware of the severe dissatisfaction with the service being provided by Aurigny. The impact on the business industry is very concerning with a number of companies quietly moving off the island and major players moving parts of their business to Jersey.

It is evident Aurigny cannot provide the very basic services the island needs to maintain our present position much less provide growth.

The reputational damage is immediate but restoring confidence will take years, and at considerable cost.

There have been too many excuses from Aurigny’s management whose forward planning has proved to be poor at best. Now there is to be at least one, possibly more, investigations by the CAA into the airline and its contracted operators, this will ring alarm bells with business and the general commuting public who will be questioning the viability and safety of their own airline.

We must ask what  can the two reviews tell us we don’t already know?

This is just kicking the can down the road wasting time whilst the economy suffers even more.

We are becoming a third world location with third world connectivity. I wonder whether any major finance institution would consider us rather than Jersey today?

Whether you like it or not the finance industry pays the salaries of many people who contribute to our tax take. Without them GST will be just the starter.

We urge P&R to consider invoking Emergency Powers and speaking to BA and asking them to formulate a plan to provide a GCI - LGW/LHR service.   Concurrent with this planning, we need to start immediately on the installation of EMAS.  We cannot afford not to if we are to request help from the major players. 

The financial advantage in having flights from Guernsey to LHR are highlighted by the recent success of Jersey Ports who 4 years ago struck a deal with BA which, according to Oxford Economics, was projected to grow their economy by £125m pa by 2025. They now have 40 flights a week to London plus a number of EasyJet connections, all with jet aircraft capable of carrying over 150 people per flight.

The price of inaction is incalculable.

Barry Cash