Aurigny
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Founded |
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AOC # | 373 | ||||||
Hubs | Focus cities Saint Anne | | |||||
Frequent-flyer program | Aurigny Frequent Flyer | ||||||
Fleet size | 7 | ||||||
Destinations | 16 | ||||||
Headquarters | Guernsey Airport, Forest, Guernsey, Channel Islands | ||||||
Key people |
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Profit | £4.2 million (2022) | ||||||
Employees | 280 | ||||||
Website | www |
Aurigny Air Services
History
Early years
Aurigny Air Services was founded by Sir
Aurigny became the first commercial operator of the
Regional transition
Ownership of the airline passed from Aurigny Aviation Holdings to Close Brothers Private Equity on 23 May 2000, but was wholly acquired by
In June 2006, a survey by market researchers islandopinion.com showed that Aurigny was the most popular airline which served Guernsey. On 21 June 2007, Aurigny got permission from its sole shareholder, the States of Guernsey, to raise a private loan to purchase two new ATR 72-500 aircraft, which entered service in March 2009. Aurigny celebrated 40 years in operation in 2008. It was voted 4th-best short-haul airline in a poll published in the consumer magazine Which?. In a survey of 30,000 members the magazine examined 71 airlines and asked readers to rate each carrier for standards of check-in, cabin staff, cleanliness, food and entertainment.[citation needed]
In March 2009, the airline announced that it was to operate a Jersey – London Stansted route, whilst restarting the Guernsey and East Midlands link. Daily flights commenced from 1 May 2009. The frequency of flights from Guernsey – London Gatwick was increased from four to five daily return flights that day. In August 2009, Aurigny announced that it would be operating winter flights to Grenoble using its ATR 72-500 aircraft. The flights ran from 26 December 2009 to midway through February 2010. This was repeated for the 2010/2011 winter season, but flights were continued until March. The extension did not prove viable and the previous length of operation has been restored since the 2011/2012 season.[8] Thanks to the change, it noted that demand was stronger due to a decreased period of availability.[9]
Recent history
It was revealed in July 2010 that Blue Islands was planning to buy Aurigny, and was undergoing a due diligence process with the Treasury and Resources department of the States of Guernsey. This sparked major debate throughout the islands, and a Facebook page in opposition to the proposed buy-out gained 530 members. On 14 September, Treasury and Resources announced that the sale would not go ahead.[11][12]
Blue Islands' withdrawal from Alderney on 9 May 2011 left Aurigny with a monopoly on that island for the first time in over a decade. However, it was criticised later that year for cutting the number of flights to Southampton,
In October 2013,
After
After ten years of competition with
In April 2015, Aurigny acquired an
In November 2015, the States of Guernsey agreed to recapitalise Aurigny's holding company, Cabernet Ltd, by paying off £25m of existing and expected debt.
Corporate affairs
Ownership and structure
Cabernet Ltd is the 100% holding company for the Aurigny Group, which consists of Aurigny Air Services and Anglo Normandy Aero Engineering.[31] The holding company is itself 100% owned by "The States of Guernsey acting by and through the States Trading Supervisory Board".[32]
Business trends
The airline has been loss-making for a number of years; however its services have been viewed as essential to Guernsey's economy, etc. - a May 2017 strategic review said "that Aurigny’s objectives should focus on supporting economic enablement and providing a backbone of air services to support the Bailiwick [of Guernsey]’s economy and its growth, providing access to affordable air travel to the UK."[33]
Trading figures have been released for Cabernet Ltd (that is, the Aurigny Group), with promises of increasing transparency. The key trends over recent years, from annual accounts and press statements, are shown below (as at year ending 31 December):
2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Turnover(£ m) | 31.4 | 40.7 | 44.9 | 44.7 | 44.7 | 45.5 | 45.0 | 12.1 | 17.8 | 44.2 |
Net profit (£ m) | −3.9 | −2.9 | −3.2 | −5.2 | −5.2 | −4.4 | −9.7 | −28.6 | −14.9 | 4.2 |
Number of employees (FTE) | 280 | 313 | 312 | 275 | 291 | |||||
Number of passengers (000s) | 477 | 557 | 550 | 544 | 531 | 140 | 370 | 520 | ||
Passenger load factor (%) | ||||||||||
Number of aircraft (at year end) | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 6 | ||||
Notes/sources | [34][35] | [32][36] | [32] | [37][38] | [39] | [40] | [41] | [42] |
Criticism
On 9 June 2017, Aurigny withdrew the island's
In February 2020, the President of the States of Alderney William Tate told a meeting of the UK Parliament's All-Parliamentary Channel Islands Group, "We have an airline which is state-owned and operated by Aurigny. It was started in Alderney 51 years ago and, without going into all the whys and wherefores, that service is unlikely to be provided in the future in the same way that it has been historically. So we’re going to be faced with a reduction in our capacity which will seriously damage our economic prospects. Half of the seats on the Southampton to Alderney service are filled by tourists. That service could well end. And anyone wishing to visit Alderney will have to visit via Guernsey. That’s a massive disincentive economically."[44]
In April 2022 during the Easter Holiday season, several circumstances caused the Alderney service to be cancelled for at least two days. It was stated that one Dornier was out of action for routine maintenance and the second out of action as a part of the aircraft broke which according to Aurigny, had never occurred before. Strong backlash came from those who were booked on for the flights affected. Many were transferred via ferry to and from Guernsey. Alex Snowdon, an Alderney deputy blamed the 2 plane system for this occurrence saying "It is essential that new options are looked at and assessed because we cannot be served with just two small planes. Whether that be an increase in small planes, a different type of small planes or the Aurigny strategy over a longer runway, using the ATR which would give increased capacity." Aurigny states; "The Dornier are the correct aircraft for the route at this time."[45]
Destinations
Destinations
As of April 2024, Aurigny serves the following destinations:[46]
Country | City/region | Airport | Notes | Refs |
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France | Grenoble | Alpes–Isère Airport | Seasonal | |
Paris | Charles de Gaulle Airport | |||
Guernsey | Alderney | Alderney Airport | Focus city
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Guernsey | Guernsey Airport | Hub | ||
Ireland | Dublin | Dublin Airport | Seasonal | |
United Kingdom | Birmingham | Birmingham Airport | ||
Bristol | Bristol Airport | |||
East Midlands | East Midlands Airport | Seasonal | ||
Exeter | Exeter Airport | |||
Edinburgh | Edinburgh Airport | Begins 29 May 2024 | ||
Leeds/Bradford | Leeds Bradford Airport | |||
Liverpool | Liverpool John Lennon Airport | Seasonal | ||
London | London City Airport | |||
London Gatwick Airport
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London Stansted Airport | ||||
Manchester | Manchester Airport | |||
Newquay | Newquay Airport | Begins 23 July 2024 | ||
Southampton | Southampton Airport |
Aurigny has codeshare and interline agreements with the following airlines (as of July 2022):
Fleet
Current fleet
As of April 2024, the Aurigny Air Services fleet consists of:[51]
Aircraft | In Service |
Orders | Passengers | Notes |
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Dornier 228 NG | 2 | — | 19 | |
Dornier 228 | 1 | — | 19 | stored[52] |
ATR 72-600
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3 | 2[citation needed] | 72 | |
Embraer 195
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1 | — | 122 | To be retired[53] |
Total | 7 | 2 |
Historical fleet
The airline formerly operated the following aircraft types: the
Aurigny announced in April 2014 that it would retire its five Trislanders and replace them with three second-hand Dornier 228s, noting that "the cost of keeping [the Trislanders] in the air is now prohibitively expensive".[10] The programme to replace the Trislanders was expected to cost £3 million, with the airline asking the States of Guernsey for a loan in order to fund its Dornier acquisition.
Aurigny's flagship Trislander aircraft, nicknamed "Joey" after its registration G-JOEY, gained popular affection over time and a campaign was established to have it put on display in Guernsey rather than being sold.[10] The aircraft made its final flight on 28 June 2015, and in November of that year it was announced that it would be preserved on the island.[55][56] In March 2016 Oatlands Village, a local tourist attraction, was revealed to be Joey's probable new home, subject to permission for construction of a suitable building to house the Trislander.[57][58] "Oaty & Joey's Playbarn" opened in January 2019 with G-JOEY suspended from the ceiling as a static exhibit.[59]
References
- ^ "IATA - Airline and Airport Code Search". iata.org. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
- ^ Carpenter, Aaron. "New arrivals at Aurigny as Darby stands down". Bailiwick Express. Archived from the original on 1 November 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ "Hahn Air's new partner Aurigny now available in 190 markets" (Press release). Hahn Air. 8 October 2014. Archived from the original on 18 October 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- ^ "Contact us Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine." Aurigny Air Services. Retrieved on 12 February 2011. "Aurigny AirServices Ltd States Airport La Planque Lane Forest Guernsey, GY8 OTD Channel Islands."
- ^ a b "UK & Ireland Airlines Guide 2011". Airliner World. March 2011. p. 3.
- ^ "Anglo Normandy Aviation". Airline History. Archived from the original on 2 August 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- ^ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 27 March 2007. p. 80.
- ^ "Aurigny reduces Guernsey-Grenoble service". BBC News. 6 September 2011. Archived from the original on 1 January 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ "Guernsey to Grenoble route 'more popular'". BBC News. 24 December 2011. Archived from the original on 1 February 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ a b c "Aurigny trislanders [sic] loan plan goes to Guernsey States". BBC News. 17 April 2014. Archived from the original on 20 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- ^ "Agreed deal in principle to take over Aurigny". Blue Islands. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
- ^ "Aurigny Air Services could be sold to Blue Islands". BBC News. 14 July 2010. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
- ^ "Aurigny makes cuts to Alderney-Southampton flights". BBC News. 22 August 2011. Archived from the original on 1 January 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ "Aurigny's Alderney flight prices 'will never come down'". BBC News. 17 September 2011. Archived from the original on 19 September 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ "Aurigny 'not to blame' for shortage of visitors". Alderney Press. January 2012. Archived from the original on 11 September 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- ^ "Aurigny rolls out system for Alderney and Southampton". BBC News. 23 December 2011. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ "Guernsey airline Aurigny appoints Mark Darby as permanent CEO". BBC. 15 September 2013. Archived from the original on 29 January 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
- ^ "RUAG acquires new customer for the Dornier 228". RUAG Group. 10 August 2015. Archived from the original on 27 May 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
- ^ "Aurigny Dornier 'should' arrive in Alderney in October". BBC. 30 September 2014. Archived from the original on 30 November 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
- ^ "Aurigny order plane for Gatwick route". BBC News. 12 August 2013. Archived from the original on 15 August 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
- ^ "Aurigny and Treasury strike deal over Gatwick fares". BBC. 30 April 2014. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
- ^ "Guernsey airline to expand route to London City". BBC News. 28 January 2014. Archived from the original on 30 January 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
- ^ "Aurigny launches London City to Guernsey service". London City Airport. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
- ^ "Aurigny, Blue Islands to end inter-island codeshare flights". ch-aviation. 19 January 2016. Archived from the original on 25 January 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
- ^ "New Aurigny ATR 42-500 to fly the Guernsey to London City route". www.aviator.aero (Press release). Aurigny Air Services. 22 April 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- ^ "Aurigny announces new Norwich to Guernsey service" (Press release). Norwich International Airport. 20 December 2015. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- ^ "Aurigny to launch a new service to Guernsey from Leeds Bradford Airport". scci.org.uk. Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 15 December 2015. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- ^ "Aurigny announces new flights from Guernsey to Barcelona". ITV News. 10 February 2016. Archived from the original on 13 February 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
- ^ "Aurigny's debts to be paid off by Guernsey States". BBC. 26 November 2015. Archived from the original on 24 January 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
- ^ "Memorandum of Understanding - Alderney Air Services - 2016". States of Alderney. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
- ^ "Cabernet 2015 Accounts". Aurigny. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
- ^ a b c "Annual Report 2015" (PDF). Aurigny. 26 June 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
- ^ "Aurigny Strategic Review Report". Guernsey. Archived from the original on 21 September 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- ^ "Annual Report 2014". States of Guernsey. 8 July 2015. Archived from the original on 21 September 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
- ^ "Aurigny's debts could be written off by Guernsey States". BBC News. 16 October 2015. Archived from the original on 21 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
- ^ "Record August 2015 for Aurigny". Guernsey Airport. Archived from the original on 21 September 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
- ^ "Annual Report and Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2016" (PDF). Cabernet Limited. 29 March 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 May 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
- ^ "Annual Report and Financial Statement 2016" (PDF). Cabernet Limited. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 May 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
- ^ "Aurigny Group Annual Report 2017" (PDF). Cabernet Limited. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- ^ "Aurigny Group Annual Report 2018" (PDF). Cabernet Limited. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- ^ "Aurigny continues to lose millions of pounds for taxpayers in Channel Islands". 2 November 2022.
- ^ "Cabernet Limited" (PDF). 31 December 2022.
- ^ "Aurigny withdraw Medevac service out of hours". ITV News. 9 June 2017. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
- ^ "Alderney President calls for 'clarity' on finance and air links". ITV News. 13 February 2020. Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
- ^ "Aurigny apologises for 'unprecedented' flight cancellations over Easter". 19 April 2022.
- ^ "Destinations". Aurigny. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ "Aurigny and Blue Islands announce flight sharing between Channel Islands and UK". BBC News. 20 April 2021. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Aurigny Enters Partnership with BA".
- ^ Laister, David (5 October 2020). "Aurigny and Eastern Airways in Channel Islands flight partnership". Business Live. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Boost for Regional Connectivity".
- ^ "Aircraft register (G-INFO) | Civil Aviation Authority".
- ^ https://www.planespotters.net/airframe/dornier-do-228-200-g-lgis-aurigny/egzn79
- ^ "Aurigny jet to be removed from service".
- ^ "Guernsey owned airline Aurigny to trial Dornier planes". BBC News. 10 November 2013.
- ^ "G-Joey's last flight: Aurigny Trislander retirement 'end of an era'". BBC News. 29 June 2015. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
- ^ "G-Joey staying in Guernsey is right decision, says campaigner". The Guernsey Press. 13 November 2015. Archived from the original on 5 August 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
- ^ "G-Joey could be displayed at Oatlands". BBC News. 3 March 2016. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
- ^ "Permanent home for G-JOEY - in Guernsey?". The Alderney Journal. 15 March 2016. Archived from the original on 24 September 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
- ^ Baudains, Nigel (2 January 2019). "Joey's new home attracts crowds despite 'soft launch'". Guernsey Press. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
Further reading
- Pinnegar, Edward (5 August 2010). A History of Aviation in Alderney. Amberley Publishing, Stroud. p. 128. ISBN 978-1-84868-981-7.
External links
Media related to Aurigny Air Services at Wikimedia Commons