The airline said some flights would need to be changed between 19 May and 7 June but the changes would not affect 96% of customers with bookings.
‘We know schedule changes are inconvenient, but we will not knowingly risk jeopardising our communities’ travel plans on the day of travel,’ said chief operations officer Philip Smallwood.
‘Furthermore, we’re taking decisive action now, so that our operational capacity is more closely aligned to our flying programme and that our customers can continue to travel and book with confidence this summer.
‘Though this is a necessary step to ensure a reliable service for all our customers, we recognise it will cause inconvenience for some, and we’re genuinely sorry for the disruption this may cause to them.’
The aircraft G-PEMB has been out of service since 15 April after incurring damage to its tail following a heavy landing in high winds.
Repairs will be carried out in Toulouse, the headquarters of Franco-Italian aircraft manufacturer ATR. The plane flew there on Friday.
The airline plans to keep flight schedules the same for 24 out of every 25 customers booked to travel over the period. Of the 4% of customers whose flights will be affected, nine out of 10 will be able to travel on the same day as originally planned.
It has pledged to offer full flexibility to customers affected, who will be able to travel on an alternative date or route of their choice or receive a full refund.
‘The airline is making schedule changes now to give options and certainty to its customers in advance,’ said Mr Smallwood.
‘Such changes are not uncommon in the industry, with airlines continually reviewing their published programmes to match changes in operational capacity.’
He added that the changes were being made to reflect current aircraft availability and align the published flying programme with operational capacity, protecting reliability for islanders.
‘The decision follows the temporary removal of one aircraft from service due to an unforeseen tail strike incident,’ he said.
‘While repairs are under way, limited availability in the ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance) market for this specific travel period has necessitated some temporary schedule adjustments.’
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