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STSB and ED leads set to ask questions about Aurigny ties

Two new senior committee presidents have signalled their intention to address the States’ relationship with the airline Aurigny.

The STSB acts as Aurigny’s shareholder on behalf of the States.
The STSB acts as Aurigny’s shareholder on behalf of the States. / Guernsey Press

Economic Development president Sasha Kazantseva-Miller and Mark Helyar, the new president at the States Trading Supervisory Board, both flagged their concerns about Aurigny in their pitches to take on the roles, including, ultimately, the States’ ownership of an operational airline.

‘We need as a government to consider whether the objective for which we purchased Aurigny, which was originally to safeguard slots at Gatwick, remains the same, or whether the objective could be satisfied in a different or more cost-effective way,’ said Deputy Helyar.

‘Recent events mean that the public and our industries clearly demand more competitive pricing and higher reliability.

‘We also need to be able to take into account the wider economic impacts and reputational issues of not having effective, reliable and reasonably priced connectivity on our economy, so that we are making decisions as an assembly based on the full costs and impacts, as well as the opportunities Guernsey is missing.

‘Calculating that wider benefit is not a role for STSB, but it should clearly inform the strategic decision-making process.’

Deputy Kazantseva-Miller said that she saw air and sea connectivity as crucial issues for the island.

In relation to aviation she was looking for lower fares, more resilience, and the return of a Heathrow service, in tandem with a rethink of airport charges and subsidies. She said it was important to ‘reduce our reliance on Aurigny’, looking to attract new operators, and also on ATR aircraft, given continued unreliability of both the Aurigny and Blue Islands fleet in recent months, and favoured continuing a review over consolidating inter-island services.

Deputy Helyar also addressed the issue of the need to repair or reconstruct the Alderney runway, saying his committee would look for a cheaper and simpler solution at pace.

Deputy Kazantseva-Miller added that she would look to move the ‘arms-length’ Tourism Management Board, set up last term, forward, and said she supported the idea of a visitor levy, put forward by the Guernsey Hospitality Association.

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