Southampton still island’s lifeline airport – Aurigny
SOUTHAMPTON AIRPORT is likely to stay as Guernsey’s lifeline airport in future, even as the southeast region becomes a Group A area, Aurigny has confirmed.
Both Aurigny and Condor are set to be hit by the latest change in Covid-19 categorisation tomorrow, with Poole, Portsmouth and Southampton all lying in the south-east or south-west regions.
Both areas are Group B currently, with seven days’ quarantine, but that is set to change to 14 days from tomorrow for anyone arriving from these areas.
An Aurigny spokeswoman said that, even with only seven days’ quarantine, passenger numbers had been low. ‘With regard to the South-east going to Group A, we expect it to impact passenger numbers,’ she said.
‘We will be monitoring demand and changing the schedule if it is deemed necessary.’
Southampton Airport has been Guernsey’s primary air link during the pandemic and there are currently two rotations most days of the week.
It is still possible to buy flights to Gatwick, with flights starting on 22 October, and Manchester, starting on 2 November.
The future of these services is not clear yet.
The Aurigny spokeswoman said that they planned to keep Southampton as the main UK airport, even as parts of the UK changed categorisation.
‘It is highly unlikely we will change routes away from Southampton, given the volatile changes across the country,’ she said.
A Condor Ferries spokesperson said they were aware of the upcoming changes.
‘We will therefore review our schedule and frequency of sailings, as clearly demand for travel by sea and air will further diminish with the mandated 14-day isolation for all Group A arrivals into the island,’ they said.
‘Condor continues to observe the quarantine and travel restrictions closely in the four jurisdictions to which it operates.’
