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OPINION: He is the right man for the job

OPINION: He is the right man for the job

Monday 30 September 2024

OPINION: He is the right man for the job

Monday 30 September 2024


When the invitation came in to interview Aurigny's CEO, I wondered what more he could say that we don't already know - but Nico Bezuidenhout has delivered an insight into the airline's recent challenges that wasn't previously available.

We know there have been technical problems affecting the now departed Embraer Jet, Aurigny's own and leased ATRs, and the Dorniers - but the worldwide shortage of spare parts for various different planes, and the escalating cost of some of those parts, have added to the airline's woes this year.

Acknowledging that some of these problems - coupled with the weather related issues that seem to have plagued the airline this year - have not always been communicated to the public, Aurigny's CEO has again apologised and pledged to regain your trust.

Aurigny is now aiming to "over-communicate" as opposed to "under-communicating" any potential changes to flight schedules - which Mr Bezuidenhout said is one way they are trying to regain that lost trust.

One example of this is the emails sent out last week advising passengers of changes to their bookings. In some cases this was a five minute amendment to the arrival time. 

I received one of these emails and I must admit, I did wonder why this email had been sent to me - and whether it was a mistake or was it a sign of further changes that might affect my long-awaited holiday. 

But no, it is simply a five minute change to my arrival time - and Mr Bezuidenhout said they wanted to let passengers know of those changes, as well as any other changes, to ensure they are communicating with their passengers as much as they can. 

He is determined to be as transparent as he can about the challenges affecting the airline, and any changes to passengers' bookings.

And he knows that it will take a long time to rebuild that lost trust - no matter how much he communicates. 

"In the end, the trust was broken one flight at a time, and it will be earned one flight at a time as well," he told me during our three hour long appointment together on Friday afternoon.

As well as discussing those challenges - we were shown around all of Aurigny's offices and the hangar. We met staff - including some who have worked for Aurigny for more than 40 years - and it's clear they all want to deliver on the airline's mandate, and they seemed pretty positive despite almost constant criticism of the work they do, this year. 

In such a small island, Mr Bezuidenhout said they are all employed by an airline that has their parents, siblings, friends, and next door neighbours as its customers. And they all want to do their very best for those people. 

How close the connection is between those customers and his staff is something Mr Bezuidenhout has realised with increasing clarity since he took on his position as CEO of 'Guernsey's airline'. 

Having only moved to the island in 2020, I'd say Mr Bezuidenhout was taken by surprise when he first realised exactly how much interest the public take in the airline's operations. State-owned airlines are nothing new - and Mr Bezuidenhout has worked for others - but in such a small jurisdiction, he definitely knows first hand how accountable he is to the island's tax payers who all own a stake in Aurigny.

His thoughts on whether States ownership is the right formula for Aurigny, and his insight into the technical challenges the airline faced earlier this year, will form articles during this week.

We've also got him on tape explaining how he decides which flights to cancel when those problems arise, and he told us why making a profit is only third on Aurigny's list of priorities

A podcast of the full interview will be published on Friday, and I hope readers and listeners will give Mr Bezuidenhout a chance to explain all these matters because Aurigny's success is something we all have a stake in. 

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EXCLUSIVE: Aurigny's boss on regaining your trust

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