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First year of Aurigny’s Paris route performs fantastique

More than 8,600 air passengers have travelled on the new Paris route in the first 11 months of the service, figures have revealed.

The most popular months for travelling on the route since it started were May and August, with more than 1,000 passengers.
The most popular months for travelling on the route since it started were May and August, with more than 1,000 passengers. / Guernsey Press

The twice-weekly service started in April 2024, and up to end of the year more than 7,500 people had travelled on it.

That is slightly behind the 8,300 on Aurigny’s other regular international route to Dublin, which operates three days a week, but well ahead of the airline’s seasonal regional services like East Midlands and Edinburgh.

Sam Talbot, head of marketing, PR and comms at Aurigny, said said the route had performed well for the airline.

‘It’s been a fantastic first year for our Paris route, and we’re excited about the year ahead,’ he said.

‘Over the last 12 months, it has been particularly encouraging to note that one in four travellers originated from France, welcome news for Guernsey’s tourism sector. We are delighted that our direct route enables more visitors to enjoy the island’s distinctive charm, culture, and hospitality.’

Aurigny has had some reliability challenges last year, but Mr Talbot said the Paris flights had a 99% completion rate.

And almost half of its single fares sold for less than £70.

‘We’re pleased to be able to provide reliable and affordable connections for islanders to Paris and beyond.’

The airline has recently launched an initiative to allow children to fly for free on the route, on flights booked in the next week. Up to two children, aged 11 and under, can travel fare-free for each accompanying adult. The most popular months for travelling on the route since it started were May and August, with more than 1,000 passengers, and more than 800 travelled in December around Christmas. But numbers dipped to 432 passengers in January.

The numbers cover outward and return journeys, but there were nearly 300 more people who flew to Paris than flew to Guernsey. The route is subsidised by Economic Development, which was approached for comment.

Until recently numbers for the service have not been published separately, with Paris numbers bundled in a category known as ‘other international’ on VisitGuernsey’s official figures.

No reason has been given about why they were not being published previously.

The information was supplied after requests from the Guernsey Press over recent months.

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