The States 'should hang on to Aurigny'

FOUR in five islanders think Aurigny should stay in States ownership, according to figures released today.

The Island Opinion airline benchmark survey, commissioned by Aurigny, found that 80% of people thought government should retain the airline it bought in May 2003 – a 23% increase on a similar poll carried out in 2006.

The survey, conducted in May, was designed to assess the quality of local airline services. 'We believe that this is a massive endorsement for our commitment to delivering good service to the people of the Channel Islands,' said Aurigny managing director Malcolm Hart.

'The 23% rise in support for continued States ownership is validation of the 40 years of continued service that we have provided, sometimes when certain routes have been financially challenging and when weather conditions have not been in our favour.'

The survey is the third of its kind commissioned by Aurigny, following others in 2006 and 2004.