States President argues case for airport upgrade
Upgrading Alderney’s airport is fundamental to the island’s future, States of Alderney President William Tate has said.
The project has come back under the spotlight after Deputy Lyndon Trott was elected as the new president of the Policy & Resources Committee.
In his nomination speech he questioned the wisdom of spending £24m. on the airport buildings and runway when Guernsey could not find the funds to build a sixth form campus.
Speaking on Wednesday, just hours before the previous P&R lost a vote of no confidence, Mr Tate said that Deputy Peter Ferbrache and his P&R committee had been incredibly supportive of Alderney during their time in office.
‘It’s extremely challenging to be a micro jurisdiction in a globalised world and we do our best,’ he said.
‘But without sustainable transport links, we cannot encourage more people to live here, and we cannot stop young families leaving.’
He said that the business model that had been prepared for the airport suggested that there would be ongoing financial benefits.
‘But I haven’t seen the detail, which is the frustration, we are just not in control of the process.’
Mr Tate pointed to the two islands’ fiscal relationship as to why the project needed to go ahead.
‘We pay our taxes and Guernsey provide our public services. So a buoyant, vibrant Alderney is reflected in the contribution we make to general revenue in terms of taxation.
‘Without proper sustainable air links we can’t even attempt to address the island’s issues. It’s like working with one hand tied behind your back.’
Tracey Farquhar-Beck, director of the Blonde Hedgehog, one of Alderney’s leading hotels, said that current transport links were not adequate and deterred visitors.
‘As a business, we lose hotel reservations on an unprecedented scale due to the inability and unreliability of transport to get to the island,’ she said.
‘A good transportation link would enable Alderney to be a leader within the tourism industry. We often have enquiries from Jersey and France, but the connectivity instantly puts a barrier up.’
She added that the negative consequences of poor transportation would lead to a decline in revenue for businesses in the hospitality sector, with a knock-on effect to the wider economy of the island.
‘Beyond visitor numbers, the lack of transport links can indeed impact the ability to bring in and retain staff. This limits the pool of available talent and makes it challenging for all businesses to hire and retain skilled staff.
‘Alderney is a destination that is unbelievably popular and can only succeed with the right measures in place, the key one being transportation.
‘Alderney is a part of the Bailiwick and should be treated as such.’
In 2022 more than 51,000 journeys were made through Alderney Airport, of which two-thirds were from Guernsey.
In the same year, only 2,000 people travelled between Guernsey and Alderney by sea.
Alderney has a population of about 2,100 people.
