Aurigny consolidating some routes while fleet issues remain

Nearby regional routes will be consolidated to reduce the level of flying, with lifeline London routes facing minimal disruption. All summer European destinations remain unaffected.

Another new wet-lease aircraft, a SAAB 340 Turboprop will be introduced on wet lease next month, before the first of two new ATR72s is due to arrive in July. A second should follow in September.

Passengers booked on affected flights will be contacted proactively via email. Any flights delayed beyond three hours, and flights that have been rebooked to a different airport, will be eligible for free changes without fare differences to an alternative and suitable date, or passengers can opt for a refund.

'We unreservedly apologise to our customers for the disruption they have faced over the past few months and appreciate their patience while we navigate this challenging period. Our priority is to provide our customers with safe air connectivity to and from Guernsey on lifeline routes, and we assure you we are doing all we can to return to the service reliability our customers expect,' said Aurigny CEO Nico Bezuidenhout.

'By consolidating some of our routes, we can provide a more reliable service for passengers travelling on our busiest routes. We appreciate our customers’ patience between now and 4 July and look forward to running a fully serviceable fleet that will provide the standard of service that we strive for.'

Aircraft shortages have come about as a result of a number of unforeseen factors outside of Aurigny’s control, including wet-lease issues and global spares shortages, which has left Aurigny operating with 25% reduced airline capacity.

Mr Bezuidenhout said: 'We realise the actions being taken will impact some customers adversely, for which we apologise unreservedly. Aurigny believes the rationalisation of some services over the period through July 4 will bring stability and resilience to operations.'