Inter-island seaplane could service Alderney

Benjamin Hill, founder of Clear Harbour Airways, said that an air operator’s certificate had now been approved for the company and that a route licence application to run between Jersey and Guernsey would be submitted imminently.

‘I have got my AOC approved by the director of civil aviation and berths have been allocated in both St Peter Port and St Helier,’ said Mr Hill.

‘Deposits have been paid on my first plane and I am hopeful that it will be here around the second week of June. I would like to give myself the clearest window of good weather, so I will be looking to operate this side of summer. I would like to be operating in July.’

He also pledged that fares would be ‘competitive’ on his service, which is set to be initially run using a 14-seat de Havilland Single Otter seaplane set to come from Canada.

‘I will be running a far quicker service and a far more regular service,’ added the aviation entrepreneur with a planned 45-minute office-to-office service between St Peter Port and St Helier.

‘My pilots are likely to come from Canada initially in conjunction with my partners on this, Harbour Air Seaplanes, which is one of the largest scheduled sea plane operators in the world.

‘I have been working with them on securing my pilots and my ultimate plan is to train – as we grow the local business – local pilots to fly seaplanes.’

Colleagues from Harbour Air Seaplanes have been over to the Channel Islands regularly, said Mr Hill, and are due to make their next visit in the next two weeks as the developers of the project continue to work with harbour masters in Jersey and Guernsey.

Consultants have been appointed by Ports of Jersey to undertake a marine navigation risk assessment of the marine activities within St Helier harbour related to the proposed seaplane operations, although Mr Hill said he did not foresee there being any issues.

He also welcomed the recent announcement that new airline Waves had been granted a route licence to operate between Guernsey and Jersey airports as ‘hugely encouraging’.

‘I think it’s absolutely the right thing and I am very pleased for them. It has been a tough slog for them and I wish them well. It’s absolutely right that there should be inter-island competition.’

Clear Harbour Airways is also looking at the possibility of providing a service to Alderney in future following discussions with P&R president Gavin St Pier and its own research looking at demand for such flights.

In a tweet, Deputy St Pier said he was pleased to have met Mr Hill and ‘wish them every success with their well-developed plans to launch a seaplane service between Jersey and Guernsey later this year’.

Guernsey’s top politician also said that he was ‘delighted with feedback that engagement with various arms of government had been faultless’.