Aurigny Air Services

Aurigny Air Services
IATA ICAO Callsign
GR[1] AUR AYLINE
Founded 1968
AOC # 373
Hubs
Focus cities
Frequent-flyer program frequent flyer
Fleet size 11
Destinations 13
Company slogan The Islanders' Airline
Headquarters Guernsey Airport
Forest, Guernsey, Channel Islands
Key people Derrick Bailey (Founder)
Mark Darby (CEO)[2]
Website www.aurigny.com

Aurigny Air Services Limited, styled as aurigny (and pronounced /ˈɔəriːniː/) is the flag carrier[3] airline of Guernsey with its head office on the grounds of Guernsey Airport in the Channel Islands,[4] and wholly owned by the States of Guernsey. It operates passenger and freight services between the Channel Islands, northern France and the United Kingdom. Its main base is Guernsey Airport, with other aircraft and crew based at Alderney Airport. Aurigny is one of the longest serving regional airlines in the world, and is one of the oldest established airlines in Britain except for Loganair and Monarch Airlines. The origin of its name lies in the cognate across Norman languages for Alderney.

History

Early years

Aurigny Air Services was founded by Sir Derrick Bailey and started operations on 1 March 1968 after British United Airways withdrew from the Alderney to Guernsey route. It initially operated Britten-Norman Islander aircraft, developing a highly efficient network linking the Channel Islands with each other and with France and the United Kingdom.[5] During the first year of operations the airline carried 45,000 passengers between Guernsey, Jersey and Alderney.

Britten-Norman Trislander G-JOEY-made famous by the "Joey Club" (founded in 1986) and book series-landing at Guernsey Airport

Aurigny became the first commercial operator of the Britten-Norman Trislander in July 1971; the airline remained the world’s largest operator of the type until its retirement. Use of this larger aircraft enabled the route structure to be developed to include the south coast of England and northern France.[5] In 1977, Aurigny was the first airline in the world to ban smoking on all services. In 1993, Aurigny won a contract to carry mail between the Channel Islands and the UK and in 1999 it began daily services between Guernsey — London Stansted Airport and Amsterdam Airport operated by Saab 340 aircraft. The latter route was later dropped due to poor demand, but marked its transition from a local carrier to a regional airline.

Regional transition

A Short 360 at Guernsey Airport in July 1995. The airline no longer operates the type

Ownership of the airline passed from Aurigny Aviation Holdings to Close Brothers Private Equity on 23 May 2000, but was wholly acquired by States of Guernsey on 15 May 2003, after British Airways announced that it was to cease flying on the London Gatwick — Guernsey route (just two months before the Island Games). It employs 300 staff in the Channel Islands, France and the United Kingdom.[6] Aurigny also operates charter services, and is a handling agent for various other airlines which fly into Guernsey, including Air Berlin and Blue Islands.

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. It has since been rated the world's best short-haul airline in mor erecent surveys.[7]

A Saab 340 taking off from Bristol Airport in 2003. The type has now been retired

March 2009 saw Aurigny announce 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 mid-way 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

An Aurigny ATR 72 taxiing at Guernsey Airport in May 2009

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.[10][11]

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,[12] not lowering prices[13] and reducing services to twice daily over that winter; Malcolm Hart later reaffirmed its commitment to the route and admitted that encouraging passengers to fly via Guernsey had been 'the biggest mistake in Aurigny's recent history'.[14] At the end of 2011, Aurigny rolled out the first GPS approach system in Europe (based on the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service, for use by its Trislanders at Alderney and Southampton airports, in cooperation with EUROCONTROL, allowing flights in lower visibility and in poorer weather.[15]

In October 2013, Mark Darby joined the company as CEO after six months as a non-executive director.[16] He would initiate an eight week trial for the Dornier 228 as a replacement for the Trislander fleet, on lease from Aero VIP (Portugal), and later the purchase of four such aircraft (two older and two NG variants). Three aircraft arrived during the course of 2014 and 2015, with another due from manufacturer RUAG in 2017.[17][18]

After Flybe announced its withdrawal from the London Gatwick — Guernsey route by March 2014, Aurigny ordered an Embraer 195 to serve its Gatwick route in order to provide sufficient capacity as the sole operator. The aircraft was delivered on 24 June 2014, and a similar aircraft was wet leased from Flybe between March and June to provide capacity in the interim.[19] Given substantial government investment in fleet acquisition, and its monopoly position on the Gatwick route, an agreement between the airline and the States of Guernsey struck in April 2014 saw it commit to offer 65% of fares for 65% or less.[20] Additionally, in January 2014 Aurigny applied to the States of Guernsey to operate a Guernsey — London City service, with an aim of starting the route from May.[21] Due to delays in aircraft procurement, the route commenced on 8 September 2014, initially operated by VLM Airlines.[22]

After ten years of competition with Blue Islands on the Jersey — Guernsey inter-island route, in March 2014 Aurigny signed a codeshare agreement with that airline pertaining to Jersey — Guernsey inter-island services. The deal, which marked the secession of Aurigny flights from Jersey for the first time since 1969, saw Blue Islands take over all flying on the route and Aurigny oversee ground-handling of Blue Islands flights in Guernsey. Each airline sold 50% of available seats, and the contract was initially signed for two years. In January 2016, Aurigny and Blue Islands announced the contract for the codeshare would not be renewed, after Blue Islands became a franchise partner with Flybe and restrictions on the latter's inter-island operation were lifted by the States of Guernsey the previous year.[23]

In April 2015, Aurigny acquired an ATR 42-500 on dry lease from Nordic Aviation Capital for use on London City — Guernsey services, and as a back-up aircraft.[24] In December of that year, Aurigny announced a new year-round route from Guernsey to Leeds Bradford (commencing 27 May 2016), and a summer seasonal service to Norwich (commencing 14 May 2016), using its ATR 72 and 42 aircraft.[25][26] On 10 February 2016, Aurigny announced that it would operate a summer seasonal service from Guernsey to Barcelona, operate on its Embraer 195 over four weekends from 23 July to 13 August 2016.[27] Additionally, it applied to operate a summer seasonal service between Guernsey — London Luton from March 2017.

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.[28] The airline signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the States of Guernsey and the States of Alderney, putting in place an system of communication between the three parties as well as a basic service level agreement, in February 2016.[29]

Destinations

Current destinations

Aurigny Air Services serves the following destinations (at February 2016):

Former destinations

The airline also previously served the following destinations:

Fleet

ATR 72 G-BXTN landing at Bristol Airport in 2009.
Trislander G-FTSE airborne. On 17 April 2014 Aurigny announced that it would sell five of the Trislanders

The Aurigny Air Services fleet includes the following aircraft (as of January 2016):[31]

Aurigny Air Services fleet
Aircraft In Service Orders Passengers Notes
ATR 42-500 1 — 48
ATR 72-200 1 — 66
ATR 72-500 2 — 72
Britten-Norman Trislander 3 — 15
Dornier Do 228 2 — 18 Trislander replacement
Dornier Do 228NG 1 1[31] 19 Trislander replacement
Embraer 195 1 — 122
Total 11 1

The airline formerly operated the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter (retired by mid-1980s), the Short 360 (retired 2006) and the Saab 340 (retired early 2000s), as well as leasing a BAe-146 (for summer 2003 charters) and a Boeing 737-300 from Titan Airways to stand in for unserviceable aircraft. One Dornier Do 228 arrived on trial in November 2013 but later returned to its owner.[32]

Aurigny announced on 17 April 2014 that it would sell its five Trislanders and replace them with three second-hand Dornier Do 228s, noting that "the cost of keeping them [Trislanders] in the air is now prohibitively expensive". 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, has gained great affection over time and it has been suggested that "Joey" should be put on display in Guernsey rather than being sold.[33] G-JOEY's last flight was on 28 June 2015. Another ex-aurigny Trislander, G-XTOR, has appeared as an Islander in the James Bond film Spectre.[34]

The airline was revealed as the previously unnamed customer behind an order for a Dornier 228NG aircraft made at the Paris Air Show in June 2015. The aircraft is expected to be delivered in late 2015.[35]

References

  1. ↑ "IATA - Airline and Airport Code Search". iata.org. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  2. ↑ http://atwonline.com/people/channel-island-carrier-aurigny-appoints-new-ceo
  3. ↑ "Hahn Air’s new partner Aurigny now available in 190 markets" (Press release). Hahn Air. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  4. ↑ "Contact us." Aurigny Air Services. Retrieved on 12 February 2011. "Aurigny AirServices Ltd States Airport La Planque Lane Forest Guernsey, GY8 OTD Channel Islands."
  5. 1 2 "UK & Ireland Airlines Guide 2011". Airliner World. March 2011. p. 3.
  6. ↑ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-03-27. p. 80.
  7. ↑ Crondon, Stephanie (15 December 2013). "Airline 'no one has heard of' stuns the industry by claiming the title best in world". Daily Mail. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  8. ↑ "Aurigny reduces Guernsey-Grenoble service". BBC News. 6 September 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  9. ↑ "Guernsey to Grenoble route 'more popular'". BBC News. 24 December 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  10. ↑ "Agreed deal in principle to take over Aurigny". Blue Islands. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  11. ↑ "Aurigny Air Services could be sold to Blue Islands". BBC News. 14 July 2010. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  12. ↑ "Aurigny makes cuts to Alderney-Southampton flights". BBC News. 22 August 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  13. ↑ "Aurigny's Alderney flight prices 'will never come down'". BBC News. 17 September 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  14. ↑ "Aurigny 'not to blame' for shortage of visitors". Alderney Press. January 2012.
  15. ↑ "Aurigny rolls out system for Alderney and Southampton". BBC News. 23 December 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  16. ↑ "Guernsey airline Aurigny appoints Mark Darby as permanent CEO". BBC. 15 September 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  17. ↑ "RUAG acquires new customer for the Dornier 228". RUAG Group. 10 August 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  18. ↑ "Aurigny Dornier 'should' arrive in Alderney in October". BBC. 30 September 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  19. ↑ "Aurigny order plane for Gatwick route". BBC News. 12 August 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  20. ↑ "Aurigny and Treasury strike deal over Gatwick fares". BBC. 30 April 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  21. ↑ "Guernsey airline to expand route to London City". BBC News. 28 January 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  22. ↑ "Aurigny launches London City to Guernsey service". London City Airport. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  23. ↑ http://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/43262-aurigny-blue-islands-to-end-inter-island-codeshare-flights
  24. ↑ "New Aurigny ATR 42-500 to fly the Guernsey to London City route".
  25. ↑ https://www.norwichairport.co.uk/news/aurigny-announces-new-norwich-to-guernsey-service/
  26. ↑ https://www.scci.org.uk/2015/12/aurigny-to-launch-a-new-service-to-guernsey-from-leeds-bradford-airport/
  27. ↑ http://www.itv.com/news/channel/update/2016-02-10/aurigny-announces-new-flights-from-guernsey-to-barcelona/
  28. ↑ "Aurigny's debts to be paid off by Guernsey States". BBC. 26 November 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  29. ↑ "Memorandum of Understanding - Alderney Air Services - 2016". States of Alderney. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  30. ↑ "Aurigny Airways Adds Barcelona Service in July/August 2016". airlineroute. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  31. 1 2 http://www.jethros.org.uk/fleets/fleet_listings/aurigny_air_services.htm
  32. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-guernsey-24959131
  33. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-guernsey-27035877
  34. ↑ "From Aurigny with love...". Guernsey Press.
  35. ↑ "Aurigny Air Services". Airliner World. October 2015. p. 7.

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