Alderney’s senior politician has thanked officials, politicians and business leaders for their support in seeking a complete rejuvenation of the Island’s airport, scheduled for completion in 2025.
Last week’s decision by the Guernsey States of Deliberation to extend and strengthen the runway along with a new terminal and fire station has been welcomed by the States of Alderney and the Island’s Chamber of Commerce.
The expected price tag for the whole development is £24m with £12m of that already committed by the States of Guernsey in 2019 and a promise by the States of Alderney to find up to £3.5m to add to the funding pot.
Ian Carter, Chairman of the Policy & Finance Committee, said: “This was a tireless campaign over many months spearheaded by our Alderney representatives Steve Roberts and Alex Snowdon and the supportive group of Guernsey States Deputies with an extraordinary amount of work behind the scenes, especially by the civil service on both Islands which provided clear and rational data throughout.
“It was a team effort that involved all Alderney States Members and the civil service working in harmony with the Alderney Chamber of Commerce and many Islanders, especially young professionals with families. The support of the business community was crucial in this campaign, including a letter from high-net-worth individuals and business leaders who expressed their confidence in Alderney as an investment-worthy community with the right connectivity.
“The process of debate has reinforced the Bailiwick identity and the principle of working together for a prosperous future. While the decision reached by the Deputies expressed support for Alderney it was in the context of the whole Bailiwick and as Alderney’s new connectivity is developed it will feed into a shared economy between the Islands where
Alderney will be a true partner playing its part in generating income for the Bailiwick to pay for the transferred services it requires.
“However, this decision is just the start and now the hard work begins to bring the shared vision of the States of Alderney, the Guernsey States Trading Supervisory Board and Guernsey’s Policy & Resources Committee to fruition over the next two years.”
The next steps are to gain Civil Aviation Authority and European Union Aviation Safety Agency approval for the designs and issue construction tenders, both within the first quarter of 2023. Land acquisition to allow the runway extension and repositioning of the track to the west is already underway.
If all goes to plan the preferred bidder will be appointed in Quarter 3 2023 with planning applications for site construction compounds following before the end of the year. The work will begin in 2024 and is expected to be completed in Quarter 2 of 2025.
The condition of the existing runway remains a concern and ongoing repairs will continue to be managed by Guernsey Ports while both Islands will work together on regulatory approvals, managing inflationary costs and avoiding construction delays.
