Guernsey’s State-owned airline Aurigny is set to be guaranteed a monopoly on the Gatwick route to ensure it remains profitable.
The Committee for Economic Development (CfED) makes the recommendation in its economic vision plan due for debate in parliament later this month.
It reveals that while Aurigny is loss-making, the Guernsey to Gatwick route itself is profitable.
The Committee states: “Given the criticality of this link for the Island, the CfED has concluded that it would not be appropriate to seek competition on this route at a time where there is considerable uncertainty with Brexit and the development of European air linkages.”
“The CfED will therefore recommend to the States that Aurigny should continue to be the sole operator of the lifeline route to Gatwick for a time-limited period of five years, but will review this position before the end of this period to ensure that this is still the best approach to fulfil the island’s needs.”
But at the same time, it’s calling for a special investigation into whether it would be more profitable to attract an international airline to operate the route instead through a lease arrangement, while ensuring the slots Aurigny owns at Gatwick remain protected.
The Committee also says it sees the need for plurality on air links to London so would welcome expressions of interest from airlines wanting to run a Guernsey to London City service.
