Civil Aviation Office concerned about Alderney Airport condition, says States member
Alderney States members have said the Channel Islands Civil Aviation Office is concerned about conditions at Alderney Airport.
The airport was closed all Saturday as concrete patch repairs to the runway had failed to cure in time due to low overnight temperatures.
The runway is still awaiting a major overhaul after a rehabilitation project was agreed by the States in 2022.
However, this has been beset with disagreements on the scale of works and budget concerns.
Over recent years the runway has been maintained through regular repair work and patching of the existing surface.
The recent P&R green paper on funding essential infrastructure projects indicated that work would still go ahead to give Alderney a new runway, but this may not be confirmed until 2026.
States Member Derwent Smithurst, a former Aurigny pilot, said the runway had been on the CIDCA’s 'red list' for more than a year.
‘That’s not as damning as it sounds – it just means the airport will be having more frequent checks,’ he said.
‘However, they don’t take prisoners. If there are any issues they will stop or greatly reduce flights.
‘They will not let it get close to where an accident will happen.’
He added that the runway was subject to stronger regulations than similar small airfields in the UK because it took scheduled flights.
Mr Smithurst said the CIDCA will be keeping an eye on the runway’s ‘friction coefficent’.
‘There is a concern that the patch repairs sink and then you get puddles appearing, that increases the chances of aquaplaning which could be unacceptable,’ he said.
‘Imagine if you are taking off and have to abort and slam on the brakes. You have one wheel on dry tarmac and one in a puddle – you can imagine what happens to the plane.’
He said the CIDCA had given a presentation to the Alderney Flying Club back in October.
‘We were told then that the first step in any closure would be a dry runway only – so you could have days and days when it was shut, and that the tower was just 18 months from being condemned.
‘The real sad thing is that this is a gem of an airfield.
‘When I first flew here in 2008 it was full of small planes visiting the island or stopping to refuel on the way to Europe. But it has suffered from years of governments second-guessing what they can afford.’
Alderney States member Steve Roberts, who himself worked at Alderney airport for 23 years, said he was aware of rumours of further CIDCA inspections.
‘If it was closed what would we do? There is no contingency plan in place,’ he said.
‘Our harbour facilities are not good enough to be used by all.
‘You can’t have the sick and elderly going up and down ladders on to boats.
‘The grass runways would also be out of action because they get waterlogged.’