Alderney ‘effectively shut’ after problems with plane and runway

Runway imperfections were found yesterday morning during an inspection before Alderney Airport opened. One rotation of flights to Guernsey managed to get through before Aurigny’s only available plane then suffered a technical problem.

The exact cause of the runway closure has not been disclosed. A Guernsey Ports spokesman said: ‘Alderney Airport was closed for 50 minutes to allow for essential maintenance to be carried out to the runway.’

This delayed the inbound 7.25am Aurigny flight from Guernsey. It landed in Alderney just after 9am. However this ended up being on the only commercial air service into the island yesterday.

There had been due to be three more Guernsey rotations and two Southampton rotations to Alderney, but all were cancelled.

An Aurigny spokeswoman confirmed that one of its aircraft was undergoing scheduled maintenance, while the other suffered technical problems.

Last night the airline said that all of today's Alderney services would also be cancelled.

Instead it has chartered boats between Guernsey and Alderney in the morning and afternoon to help passengers reach their destination, and will run an ATR service between Guernsey and Southampton for Alderney passengers, connecting with the boat. It was contacting passengers yesterday.

The second Dornier is due to return from its servicing shortly.

Alderney Chamber of Commerce president Andrew Eggleston said he was concerned.

‘This is horrendous,’ he said.

‘To all intents and purposes Alderney has shut down today. This would be a busy time for Alderney travel.’

The Bailiwick’s Easter holidays started last week.

Mr Eggleston said he was not surprised to hear about the latest disruption.

Last year, when the runway was being patched, he was able to walk on the tarmac and noticed the condition.

‘It’s pretty awful,’ he said.

Alderney’s Island Plan was published earlier this year. Among the aims was the redevelopment of the runway with an improved terminal building to future-proof the island’s infrastructure. Options are currently being explored.

Mr Eggleston said Chamber welcomed this, but noted that action needed to be taken. The group is keen to see the runway widened and lengthened at the same time. Alderney Chamber has written to States’ Trading Supervisory Board president Peter Roffey to raise its concerns.

If the island's runway was extended, Aurigny could operate larger ATRs to Alderney, rather than the Dorniers in its fleet. This could allow it to have one type of aircraft across the fleet.

Mr Eggleston said Chamber was keen to see this happen. While Alderney travel would not fill the aircraft, it would allow for more seats during busy period like now, he said. He also suggested that Alderney should become part of a triangular route between Guernsey and Southampton.