Islands call for action on inter-island flights

Jersey's Economic Development minister Lyndon Farnham has written to Flybe after repeated inter-island poor performance and has summoned executives to demand action.

The matter is also due to be discussed at the next pan-island external transport group meeting, which is scheduled to take place in Jersey in September.

Since the Blue Islands and Flybe franchise partnership went live at the start of June, passengers – many of them members of the Channel Islands' business community and regular users of the service – have become increasingly frustrated about delays, technical faults and scheduling issues.

Regular users have raised concerns about a lack of scheduled flights at peak morning and evening times, along with numerous delays on Tuesday and Thursday which saw people reporting arriving at noon for morning meetings and sitting on a delayed plane in Jersey while the temperature soared.

Guernsey's Economic Development president, Peter Ferbrache, said he was 'concerned' over the service the airline provided to the islands.

'What is their long-term commitment to the island?'

But it was not just Flybe which had issues.

'Part of our responsibility is to try and solve these problems.

'I think Flybe, Aurigny and Condor have all got to up their game pretty quickly.

'It is about talking to them, using persuasion, whether that is the carrot or the stick.

'It will be achieved with discussions and goodwill on both sides.'