Aurigny has marked a major milestone on its popular London City to Guernsey route, celebrating its 75,000th passenger since the service launched in March 2024.
The occasion was made extra special with a visit to the island from senior leaders at London City Airport, who joined for the celebrations, explored the island and met with local businesses that rely on the service first-hand.
The airport has recently been praised by the trusted consumer watchdog Which? citing it as “by far the best airport in London, which concentrates on getting people in and out as efficiently as possible”. The customer score from Which? that is used to rank UK airports based on customer experience, gave London City a table-topping 80% in 2024, compared to Gatwick and Heathrow in the mid-50th percentile, and Luton, which came in last place at 47%.
The route has been popular in Guernsey too, especially with the finance sector seeking quick access to London’s CBD, with the terminal just 10 minutes from Canary Wharf. Aurigny says the stats support this, with some 2000 same-day return business trips since launch, and a ‘door-to-gate’ journey time of under 20 minutes leading to positive feedback from corporates looking to maximise their working days.
The lucky 75,000th passenger visited Guernsey via London City from Luxembourg, one of 35 destinations served across Europe via London City, and received a pair of complimentary tickets for the route, to use on a future flight.
Andrew Hodges, Chief Commercial Officer at London City Airport, said: “We’re delighted to have connected 75,000 passengers between the beautiful island of Guernsey and the heart of London. We have a very strong partnership with the team at Aurigny and are fully committed to maximising the ongoing benefits of this route for the community here.”
Nico Bezuidenhout, Chief Executive Officer of Aurigny, added: “We have an incredibly positive relationship with London City, and are excited to welcome them to the island to see the community they support. Between the two London airports we serve, Aurigny is pleased to provide unrivalled direct access to the heart of the city via London City Airport, and connectivity to the wider world via London Gatwick, which serves over 230 destinations worldwide. It’s a London pairing that seems to be working quite well for Guernsey.”
David Oxburgh, of the Association of Guernsey Banks, said: “An airport like London City is ideally suited to support our finance sector here in Guernsey, with flights straight from the island to London’s financial centre with the terminal just 10 minutes from Canary Wharf and 30 minutes from Bank. This is the kind of connectivity that we can really thrive on – facilitating face-to-face business relationships which are still so important in our sector. We hope for the continued prosperity of this service.”
The 75,000th passenger, Mr. Lannon from Luxembourg, was travelling to Guernsey for a wedding via London City. He said: “I was pleasantly surprised to learn I was the 75,000th passenger! The connection through London City after my flight from Luxembourg was incredibly smooth, and I’m looking forward to celebrating with friends here in Guernsey.”
Pictured: Left to right as follows, Adam Hickmott – Head of Aviation Business Development, London City Airport, Andrew Hodges – Chief Commercial Officer, London City Airport, James Lannon – Customer & 75,000 passenger, Nico Bezuidenhout – Chief Executive Officer, Aurigny, Cameron MacIndoe – Head of Media & Communications, London City Airport.
