With the States of Guernsey recently denying hold-ups and the prospect of delay, Alderney representative Alex Snowdon asked formal written questions of the Policy & Resources Committee, which has now admitted the prospect of construction being likely to be held back until summer 2028 at best.
The committee said that the process of going out to tender for a contractor had been delayed because the project was now being redesigned again to drive down costs to the lowest possible level. The States has agreed a £24m. limit for all spending on the project. Previous professional and regulatory advice was that a 23m-wide runway was required to ensure the airstrip could remain operational in cross winds. That was also the proposal put forward by P&R in its policy letter on the project earlier this year. But that assumption has now been re-examined and the committee thinks there is scope to carry out the project more cheaply by holding the runway width at 18m.
‘Following regulatory advice from the Director of Civil Aviation and feedback from the States of Alderney, previous design assumptions set out in the January 2026 policy letter have been reviewed in line with the States of Deliberation’s direction from April 2025 to achieve “the lowest possible cost and most practical and pragmatic approach to maintain an operational aerodrome in Alderney”,’ it said.
The committee said that current regulatory standards require a minimum 23m width for a runway longer than 800m for full compliance. Operations are currently permitted due to an ‘alleviation’ from the regulator, the Director of Civil Aviation.
‘It was previously assumed the runway would have to be widened when the major reconstruction works are carried out,’ the committee has confirmed.
‘However the DCA has confirmed that given the aircraft type expected to operate in Alderney, provided a suitable safety case is presented, the current alleviation could continue.’
A new design for the airport will seek to ensure the retention of grass runways at the airport without adding significant cost. The States’ technical advisers are now working on a new scheme, but that is expected to take up to five months, and that will push back construction to the summer of 2028 at the earliest, meaning that unsatisfactory patching will have to continue with an associated threat of closure in a worst-case damage situation. Some £250,000 has been set aside for that work this year.
Reaction to the further delays has been mixed in Alderney.
Policy & Finance Committee chair Jeannie Cameron said the island’s tourist industry would welcome certainty about plans for next summer and she looked forward to work starting in spring 2028.
But Mr Snowdon said he continued to worry about the progress of the project and he wanted to know more about the implications of cutting the proposed new runway width.
‘I remain deeply concerned that another year has now been added to the delivery of this vital piece of Bailiwick infrastructure,’ he said.
‘At present, there appears to be no new detailed timeline setting out the key milestones that need to be achieved. I believe this is crucial. We need to be able to monitor progress and ensure that every stage of the project remains on track. There must be a clear focus on delivery and avoiding any further slippage.’
STSB president Deputy Mark Helyar said that it was impossible to provide a definite timetable at this stage.
‘We have had positive engagement with four companies who have expressed interest in the project, and we are keeping them apprised of developments,’ he said.
‘No definitive timeline for the completion of the works can be provided until the contract has been awarded and early contractor engagement has commenced.
‘In the meantime, Guernsey Ports will continue to maintain the existing asphalt runway to ensure Alderney Airport remains operational.’
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