Dornier problems lead to open letter from Alderney over ‘shambolic’ Aurigny

Cancellations hit the Alderney schedule after older model G-LGIS suffered a serious engine fault on 2 July and then G-ETAC went tech. For six days G-OAUR alone was serving the Guernsey and Southampton links and on one day none of the three planes was in the air.

The disruption has seen passengers offloaded – many, on the first morning flights, on their way to medical appointments – passengers put onto boats and long planned trips thrown into disarray. Last weekend, 12 Guernsey schoolchildren were due to visit as guests of Alderney Tennis Club. Plans had been made for a morning of tennis, a train ride and a slap-up tea, but the flight was cancelled and no alternative offered.

Alderney’s chairman of Policy and Finance and its chief executive officer have both spoken out about the poor service. States of Alderney chief executive officer Andrew Muter wrote on his Twitter account: ‘Fragile strategy, insufficient capacity and weak commitment is undermining #Alderney’.

P&R chairman James Dent experienced the issue when his flight back to Alderney after a holiday was cancelled.

‘We are very concerned about the situation and I have written to the Aurigny management to find out more.

‘I made it clear that we understood they had a fleet of three supposedly operational aircraft and could not understand why on certain days there was only one available and at certain times there had, in fact, been none. Aurigny responded, but only to reassure us that they were doing their best to resolve problems.’

In frustration, after witnessing people on their way to cancer treatments and baby scans off-loaded from a flight, former States member Barbara Benfield has penned an open letter for residents to sign which, she says, she will personally hand to Policy & Resources president Gavin St Pier at the next Guernsey States meeting.

She is asking people to jot down their experiences with Aurigny flights – and five pages have already been filled.

‘We, the undersigned, write to you regarding the shambolic service [of Aurigny]. The repercussions are devastating to Alderney through loss of business, loss of confidence and loss of tourists. Over the past months there have been very few days without disruption.

‘People have been asked to off-load on at least four consecutive days within one week. Clearly Alderney is very low on the priority list of the management of Aurigny. We hope through this letter somebody will question how this airline is being managed and realise that one of the reasons for the apparent losses, attributed to Alderney, is not the lack of people trying to travel.

‘The problem is with the management of this airline.’

Alderney States representative Steve Roberts said: ‘Alderney Week will get by on a wing and a prayer if nothing changes. If a couple of planes go tech again it will leave Alderney up the creek without a paddle. The schedule doesn’t work on one plane.’

A spokeswoman for Aurigny said: ‘We plan to run our service as scheduled until the outcome of the PSO and will do this – as we always do – to the best of our ability. We apologise for any inconvenience during the recent technical fault with one of our aircraft.’