Aurigny announced that ‘unforeseen pilot absence at Skybus’ was the issue, and denied rumours of strike action.
The routes affected are between Alderney and Guernsey and Alderney and Southampton.
‘We appreciate that this represents unfortunate timing and undermines confidence in the robustness of operational planning at Skybus,’ said Skybus MD Jonathan Hinkles.
‘We are doing everything we can to complete flight training for crews dedicated to Aurigny’s Twin Otter services which will build appropriate resilience for Alderney’s connectivity long into the future.’
He apologised unreservedly on behalf of the airline for the inconvenience to the Alderney community.
‘We care deeply about this mission and understand the importance of delivering vital lifeline services to island communities – and we recognise this falls short of what is expected.’
Skybus said it had notified Aurigny as quickly as it could about the situation.
Aurigny said there was no need for passengers to contact the airline and steps have been taken to ensure that alternative arrangements can be made for all those affected and that they are given as much notice as possible. All disrupted passengers are being contacted via email with offers of alternative itineraries.
‘We are working closely with Skybus at this time to ensure that services meet the standards our communities deserve,’ said Aurigny’s chief commercial officer Philip Saunders.
Alderney flights have suffered significant disruption in recent weeks by a combination of weather delays and technical issues with the aircraft, including an entire weekend when no flights operated in or out of the island.
Alderney’s Policy & Finance Committee has officially complained about service levels to the States of Guernsey, but its claims of the exact level of disruptions and cancellations since the introduction of Twin Otter aircraft and the removal of Dorniers from the route have been denied by the States and the airline.
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