Aurigny sets new record for Gatwick flights in a day
AURIGNY flew the highest number of Gatwick flights in a single day yesterday, providing extra capacity at the start of the half-term holidays.
However, Condor faced problems, with a further problem with the Rapide, which was due back in service.
Aurigny operated 18 flights yesterday – on an ordinary Friday there would 14 flights.
And with its Embraer jet undergoing annual maintenance, it chartered an Airbus A320 from Titan Airways, giving around 150 extra seats on top of the normal capacity.
Aurigny CEO Mark Darby said the airline wanted to provide as much capacity as it could on the route and had been working hard to secure extra slots at Gatwick.
‘Half-term is always an incredibly busy time for us at the airline, with so many people wanting to get away during the holiday,’ he said.
‘This year, we have really looked at how we could maximise capacity to and from Gatwick and provide as many seats as possible for people who need to get away.
‘This is the highest number of flights we have ever scheduled for the Gatwick route and importantly we have provided more seats than ever on the route.’
The Embraer was due to return yesterday and be in service today.
Things were not going so well for Condor.
Rapide has been in dry dock and was set to return to service yesterday.
Condor Ferries CEO Paul Luxon said the vessel was on its way to Weymouth from Falmouth yesterday morning when an engine management software issue was discovered.
‘Rapide returned to port and our engineers and contractors are working hard to rectify the problem,’ he said yesterday afternoon.
However, they were not able to fix the problem in time and the sailings between St Malo to Jersey were cancelled.
Instead, the Clipper will make a return trip to the French port, delaying its service to Portsmouth.
