Air links report gets thumbs-up
ALDERNEY'S Policy and Finance Committee chairman Neil Harvey is pleased Scrutiny's Strategic Air Links report recognised just how critical air links were to Alderney's prosperity.
Much of what was contained in the report met the approval of those who submitted evidence at the Alderney hearing, although some wished it had gone further on certain local issues.
'I fully agree with the conjecture that air links are an important economic driver, which has not always been recognised as such in Guernsey States governance of Aurigny in the past,' said Mr Harvey.
'Quite a number of the issues raised are already being addressed, for example both for Alderney with the Memorandum of Understanding setting out service levels for Aurigny, and wider matters such as which department in Guernsey States has responsibility for managing the investment in Aurigny.
'We would agree that the Trislander replacement programme has been fraught with difficulties, though recent problems with keeping the Trislanders in the air support the view that a 'new' version of that aged aircraft was never a realistic prospect.
'At the moment we are fighting to ensure our basic 23 metres by 880 metres runway is fit for purpose against a bureaucratic and unsupportive Guernsey financial process, though we would not disagree that lengthening the main runway was given scant consideration.
'Some things have moved on since we gave evidence to the committee, others sadly have not.'
