In a meeting with the Policy & Finance Committee on Monday, Aurigny and Skybus representatives highlighted that access to the longer grass runway would improve operational reliability, particularly in crosswind conditions.
It was something raised by Skybus managing director Jonathan Hinkles in an interview on Riduna Radio the following day, although Aurigny has noted that the grass runways have not been certified for some years. It is understood from Guernsey Ports that substantial works would be required to bring the runways in to a usable state.
However, all parties have agreed that identifying a workable solution would be beneficial for Alderney, the operators and flight crews.
There has been increased dialogue surrounding air connectivity in Alderney since a peaceful protest on Sunday afternoon saw 200 residents attend the airport, with a surprise appearance from Aurigny CEO Nico Bezuidenhout.
Policy & Finance chair Jeannie Cameron said the meeting was positive and constructive.
‘It provided a valuable opportunity for all parties to discuss the issues in detail and I believe we all learned a great deal from the conversation,’ she said.
‘I would also like to thank Nico for taking the time to come to Alderney on Sunday to speak directly with members of the public and hear their genuine concerns. That engagement was appreciated.’
The meeting, which lasted nearly two hours, discussed operational performance across both commercial and medevac services, pilot and crew provision, aircraft availability, scheduling reliability, and the delivery of commitments under the Aurigny-Skybus agreement.
Availability of aviation fuel at Alderney airport was also identified as a key issue.
Reinstating fuel provision was recognised as essential to support increased payload capacity and enable more efficient services, particularly on Southampton services.
The issue has been discussed by the States in the past few months but so far no progress has been made.
Skybus and Aurigny described a constructive partnership and acknowledged that some initial transition challenges had been experienced.
The States of Alderney was advised that these issues are being addressed and that service reliability is expected to improve, and it has said that it will continue to work closely with Aurigny and Skybus to ensure air connectivity meets the needs to the community.
Yesterday Alderney States representatives Edward Hill and Alex Snowdon were unable to attend the States meeting in Guernsey as weather conditions saw their morning flight cancelled.
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