Aurigny’s summer service between Guernsey and Alderney is reduced

A States of Guernsey Trading Assets spokesperson said that Aurigny, the States-owned airline that operates the route, had been liaising with them.

‘Aurigny has kept the STSB updated about the need to replace the wings on its third older Dornier aircraft and that, without doing so, it would have to be withdrawn from service over the course of this winter,’ they said.

‘The board had hoped that, by now, a contract would have been awarded for the operation of Alderney’s air services under the new PSO framework, setting out who would be operating them, whether the Southampton service will be retained and, if so, what level of service would be provided.

‘However, with the ongoing delay to the outcome of the PSO process, the board agrees that Aurigny should not commit the £500,000 that it tells us will be required to re-wing the aircraft when it has no certainty that it will be operating those services after next summer’s season.

‘Regrettably, this does mean that the level of service that Aurigny can offer next summer will be reduced.’

The new summer timetable will see up to five return flights a day between Guernsey and Alderney.

There are no extra services put on during Alderney Week.

There are up to two return flights a day between Alderney and Southampton.

‘The STSB wrote to both the Committee for Economic Development and the States of Alderney last October to flag the problem and made it clear that, as a result of the delay in the PSO process, there was no prospect of the third aircraft being re-winged before the start of the 2020 summer season,’ the Trading Assets spokesperson said.

‘However, the board has been pleased to reach an agreement with the States of Alderney to extend the opening hours of Alderney Airport by one hour at peak periods next summer. This extension will enable Aurigny to operate more services between Guernsey and Alderney than would otherwise have been possible, providing more opportunities for Alderney passengers to connect with Aurigny’s onward services in Guernsey, including its flights to and from Southampton.’