Guernsey’s government-owned airline, Aurigny Air Services, has announced that it is finalising proposals to expand operations on its services between the Channel Island and London Gatwick Airport, just as the Isle of Man’s services are being reduced.
The Guernsey airline is also considering buying or leasing an extra aircraft to accommodate the 146,000 passengers carried by Flybe on the Gatwick route in 2012.
The move follows Flybe’s announcement that it will withdraw from the route between Guernsey and Gatwick in March next year.
Former Manx Airlines CEO Terry Liddiard said: ‘Basically Guernsey’s main route is Gatwick and they don’t have a problem retaining this because their government bought the airline and they own the slots at Gatwick.
‘When Flybe announced they were pulling out of Guernsey to Gatwick it was good news for Guernsey’s Aurigny airline as it just means more people are going to use that.
‘Another big advantage is that Aurigny Air have over the Isle of Man is that they don’t have EasyJet there taking a large chunk of their business away from them,’ added Mr Liddiard.
‘Guernsey Airport didn’t extend their runways so EasyJet’s aircraft can’t land there.
‘Here in the Isle of Man, of course, four or five years ago we had this unnecessarily expensive project to extend the runaway and this just allowed the bigger airlines to come in and take a large chunk of the local business away,’ said Mr Liddiard.
Guernsey’s minister for the Treasury and Resources Department, Deputy Gavin St Pier said of the expansion and possible extra aircraft addition: ‘Aurigny is already the market leader on the Gatwick route, carrying just under 200,000 passengers last year.
‘There is no practical way for it to accommodate the additional passengers without expandin g our services,’ he added.
Ensuring Aurigny remains Guernsey’s sole Gatwick operator will be considered as part of a wider review of the airline later this year.
As we have previously reported, British Airways will reduce its three-times-daily London City business link to a single daily flight from September and Flybe confirmed its four-times daily Gatwick service will end in March next year. EasyJet should still operate the route.