Alderney is in the last chance saloon

Rising energy costs and a crashing economy will have a devastating impact on our community, our poorer families and local businesses. Costs continue to be passed downward from suppliers to consumers, with prices guaranteed to rise on everything we rely on to survive.

We still have a chance to protect and improve our future, to manage the effects of a global impending recession. I am, of course, talking about our connectivity and runway extension. We must grasp this opportunity with both hands: if we don’t take it now, the opportunity may never return.

I respect others’ views on our runway. But I don’t believe that waiting is a gamble we can afford to take. Who pays for these gambles? Not Guernsey, air connections are not a transferred service. You pay. I pay. Our children pay.

Pushbacks and opposition to the runway, the potential for an ATR operation that would keep Aurigny in Alderney, is simply madness. A longer runway does not automatically mean we will have larger planes flying in and out (though in my opinion that would be a fantastic opportunity), but does ensure we can keep Aurigny or another airline flying to our shores.

What if Aurigny was eventually sold off by a new Guernsey Assembly? With a longer, compliant runway, our options would be far greater to offer a PSO to established operators with larger aircraft types – smaller operators are now closing down. Without this longer runway, we have no chance whatsoever.

Alderney needs to lose its deficit with our fiscal friends using this as a first priority strategy. Forget the Alderney current island plan. Our Guernsey partners need to see us helping ourselves to help them, our friends, if we want them to help us.

Since our poor refugees returned to our island of Alderney and the communal farm, we then became financial partners with Guernsey, however Alderney has been left with a limp ever since that time.

Thank you Guernsey for what you have done over the years, from the bottom of our hearts.

Not always been in the red, but the Lloyd’s crash really changed things dramatically for our deficit in the late 1980s.

So much potential is here, yet we are still limping – the biggest reason being poor connectivity, in turn discouraging business investment.

Companies came. Companies left because of bad connectivity.

Disinformation abounds from many corners about costs, frequency, requirement, and passenger numbers.

We see a great deal of great negativity (from, may I dare say it, mostly the older generation). But look, the future belongs to the young – show me a young person in Alderney who opposes progression with the ATR operation and I shall show you a real rarity. It is their future, not ours, and it is selfish to think otherwise.

Remember the good old days, when our island was bustling and alive? 20,000 more seats to and from Alderney would improve connectivity greatly and offer the opportunity for comfort and fare reduction. We could have a huge tourism boost.

Fewer delays with the fog-busting technology and far greater crosswind limits. We all know the problems we have at the moment when we need an air-med, resulting in a 2.5-hour delay to the schedule. Instead, we will have much faster air-med coverage operated by a purpose-built King Air aircraft – a much safer environment.

Lives would be saved.

Better connectivity and the ability for larger private jets to land brings the potential for increased investment to turn Alderney around.

Smaller aircraft operations simply do not work these days, with far-increased compliance factors.

But high net worth individuals could privately invest in our Bailiwick jewel that then contributes to the tax pot, on an equal or even better basis.

The runway is nowhere near the costs reported from some quarters and that has meant negative views from people in power. That is a shame because before you decide a view, you need to examine the whole picture of Alderney, an Alderney that is in deficit, that hates being in deficit and only needs to improve its economy to redress that unpalatable fact of life.

I repeat. Alderney hates being in deficit.

Remember we are a tax-paying member of the Bailiwick that started the gambling industry bringing millions to mainland Guernsey and continues to do so to this day.

Please read the business case before you write this island off, because by rejecting the much more modest investment, that in itself may generate false economy, costing the Bailiwick far more in the long term.

Guernsey itself can indeed benefit greatly long term, perhaps more than Alderney.

A more fit and slimmed down and fitter Aurigny will be able to reduce fares for Guernsey travellers to the regional airports.

Moving to one aircraft type will save Aurigny and the Bailiwick multimillions, there is no doubt. That pays for an investment in Alderney that could also press the reset on our economy payback, saving further multimillions for the Bailiwick.

Supporting such a project that would transform Alderney and its connection to the modern world is our final chance. Without this, Alderney will be a much poorer community for many years to come and perhaps more of a burden.

This is the most important walk forward for Alderney ever to improve the great potential of our great island.

No state can give guarantees on anything of course but the recession, with the right decisions, can be sailed.

Of course the usual suspects will attack Alderney, but that is expected as they see no further than their view or do not display any compromise. I expect it. You expect it.

This is indeed Alderney’s last chance saloon, to improve for the future, cushion the recession and start paying our way.

Alderney helping itself.

Steve ROBERTS