Decision on Aurigny student flights ‘in next week or so’

But STSB president Deputy Peter Ferbrache said that no explicit direction would be given to the airline to run these services.

Aurigny will make an announcement after it had analysed the results of a student survey to gauge demand for additional flights.

The issue of students’ flights was raised by Deputy Dawn Tindall through a series of written questions to the committee.

She questioned whether the ‘shareholder guidance’ to Aurigny had changed from pre-lockdown guidance – and if so, how.

In his response, Deputy Ferbrache confirmed that it had. He highlighted how the States had considered a P&R policy letter at its March meeting on the initial economic and financial response to the pandemic.

This included projections for Aurigny’s cash requirements for the rest of 2020.

‘Those projections were underpinned by a number of assumptions, including that any flying that was undertaken by Aurigny for the remainder of the year would cover their marginal direct operating costs, including: variable aircraft maintenance costs; fuel; airport charges; and, air navigation charges,’ said the STSB president.

‘As such, the guidance to Aurigny since the pandemic is that its flying programme should, as a minimum, recover those marginal costs. In the event that they do not so, then the airline’s projected cash requirements from the States will increase.’

Deputy Tindall also asked whether the arrangement of flights to take students back to the UK, without guarantee of any passengers on the return flights, could be undertaken under such shareholder guidance.

Deputy Ferbrache said: ‘Current demand for passengers travelling to and from the island on the sole Southampton service is substantially less than the 72 seats available in each direction and, at this relatively early point, Aurigny has not yet seen a material uptake in demand following the island’s progression into Phase 5b [of exit from lockdown].

‘So, it is not unreasonable to assume that there would be very little demand for flights for an ad hoc flight from destinations such as Manchester or Leeds.

Guidance would not preclude operations to the northern airports, but Aurigny would need to be satisfied that the journeys would cover the costs of the outbound and return journeys.

He was also asked if STSB would consider giving ‘direction’ to Aurigny to operate such flights to ensure Guernsey students could get back to Manchester and Leeds airport for the new term, so that education is not further disrupted.

‘The STSB will not give explicit direction to Aurigny to operate such flights,’ said Deputy Ferbrache.

‘In saying that, Aurigny is seeking feedback from students about the potential demand for flights to Manchester and Leeds. It has been awaiting the publication of A-Level results before closing that research, bearing in mind that those results could determine where students will be studying.

‘Aurigny will be reviewing the results of this survey work in the days ahead before announcing within the next week or so whether or not there is sufficient demand to justify operation of extra flights.’

Previously Aurigny had said that a Student Express Service may be organised if there is enough demand, but is reluctant to schedule flights which may have to be cancelled as the pandemic continues.

Demand for travel has continued to be low and students can book onto the Southampton route to travel to the UK.

Announcing that the current schedule would be extended until 21 September gave time for prospective travellers to consider their options and plan ahead once A Level results were received.

Aurigny were contacted for further comment but declined.