Sell slots, go to jail

BLUE ISLANDS board members would go to prison if they sold the lifeline Gatwick slots behind the States' back, Derek Coates has said.

Breaking his silence over some of the finer details of the proposed deal to buy Aurigny, Mr Coates spoke exclusively to the Guernsey Press to address some of the key questions and challenges opponents of the plan have raised.

A top aviation lawyer argued in yesterday's Guernsey Press that a golden share was a contractual obligation that could be broken if the airline decided to sell the slots against the States' wishes. He said that situation could result in Guernsey receiving substantial damages through a legal challenge but never regaining the slots.

Mr Coates (pictured) strongly rejected those claims.

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