Aurigny Air Services
Accordin to local media today Aurigny repoted a £1.2m loss for the year up to September. Aurigny's MD is quoted as saying that the airline will be back in profit inside 2 years. Will Aurigny I wonder even exist as such by then?
In yesterdays GEP Blue Islands said that they were not taking over Aurigny as written on this site. However IMO let's just wait & see.
In yesterdays GEP Blue Islands said that they were not taking over Aurigny as written on this site. However IMO let's just wait & see.
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MH was reported as saying that Aurigny was 'running at an operating loss (this year) of £1.2m to end September. This will be considerably less than the real losses. MH's number will exclude all aircraft ownership costs- likely to be in excess of £2 Mill this year after the acquisition of 2 new ATR-72's.
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A little late hotelmodemetar.
Its a weekly service on a Saturday aimed at the ski market Xmas to end Feb. Will save the locals a UK overnight and 2 lots of Gordon's airport departure tax (Dutch have now removed this having seen how damaging it was to their aviation community)
Good on Aurigny for being innovative this is the sort of competition needed in the islands offering customers different routes rather than the 3 main carriers going head to head.
Its a weekly service on a Saturday aimed at the ski market Xmas to end Feb. Will save the locals a UK overnight and 2 lots of Gordon's airport departure tax (Dutch have now removed this having seen how damaging it was to their aviation community)
Good on Aurigny for being innovative this is the sort of competition needed in the islands offering customers different routes rather than the 3 main carriers going head to head.
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Ok, I thought it was a daily service all the year 
I know GR have always done charters to Grenoble over the winter. It's a good point they expand their network. CDG would indeed have been a good destination as well for Paris city, disneyland, and the big skyteam AF-KLM hub (good alternative to bloody gatwick/manchester with awful security checks
). But Flybe seems to have understood this quicker, that's a shame.
I know GR have always done charters to Grenoble over the winter. It's a good point they expand their network. CDG would indeed have been a good destination as well for Paris city, disneyland, and the big skyteam AF-KLM hub (good alternative to bloody gatwick/manchester with awful security checks
). But Flybe seems to have understood this quicker, that's a shame.
Shame Aurigny had to leave every single piece of baggage in Grenoble last Saturday due to aircraft weight/runway conditions. A week later & the luggage still hasn't arrived back in Guernsey. One has to ask if the ATR is indeed an ideal a/c for a route such as this where pax will have heavier/bulkier baggage than some other flights they operate?
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Bearing in mind the awful conditions that w/e its lucky it went at all... 1200m in snow at Grenoble when it left and all close by alternates shut, necessitating extra fuel etc. Apparently some charter flights that arrived that day had been waiting a day or two from LGW to get there.
Of course it shouldn't take so long to get the bags back in an ideal world, but with a weekly flight they had to 'rush' them back via LGW and of course a lot of the flights that leave GNB at that time of year are pretty well up to the limit.
As far as i am aware, this is the first time this has happened and this is the third year of charters. The first was to Lyon St Exupery and last year and this year to GNB. I think you could say it was an unusual set of circumstances.
Of course it shouldn't take so long to get the bags back in an ideal world, but with a weekly flight they had to 'rush' them back via LGW and of course a lot of the flights that leave GNB at that time of year are pretty well up to the limit.
As far as i am aware, this is the first time this has happened and this is the third year of charters. The first was to Lyon St Exupery and last year and this year to GNB. I think you could say it was an unusual set of circumstances.
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I'd imagine that the GCI-EMA route is doing OK as GR are operating it as a year round route albiet on a reduced frequency during the winter. During the winter months I'd guess that it is alot of Specsavers staff using this route as they have their head office in Guernsey and now have their UK call centre based in Nottingham.
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From channelonline.tv this evening...
Aurigny sale to Blue Islands agreed in principle
The Guernsey-owned airline Aurigny is set to be sold to its rival Blue Islands.
The States have agreed in principle with Blue Islands to sell Aurigny and Anglo-Normandy Engineering.
Guernsey orginally bought the airline in order to protect landing slots at Gatwick Airport.
When the States agreed to buy Aurigny in 2003, they made the purchase to protect slots at Gatwick seen as essential to business which can only be owned by an airline. Ever since Aurigny was taken over there's been opposition, mainly from rival airlines. A year ago, Blue Islands' Chief Executive Derek Coates suggested they might merge with Aurigny.
'It dosen't make sense that ultimately we have an airline such as Aurigny costing our taxpayers. It's got to become privatised one day, and I believe that the way that could happen is that we could come together and share our overheads and ensure we have the secure airlinks and we don't beat each other up too much'.
The idea was rubbished at the time by Aurigny's managing director Malcolm Hart: 'The most difficult issue, and probably why it will never happen, is control of the slots at Gatwick. Because you can't have a majority private ownership and still guarantee the island will still have control over those slots. It's something that's hugely difficult to reconcile and it's the least of my worries at the moment frankly'.
The States and Blue Islands will now negotiate terms for two months before a final decision on the sale.
Aurigny sale to Blue Islands agreed in principle
The Guernsey-owned airline Aurigny is set to be sold to its rival Blue Islands.
The States have agreed in principle with Blue Islands to sell Aurigny and Anglo-Normandy Engineering.
Guernsey orginally bought the airline in order to protect landing slots at Gatwick Airport.
When the States agreed to buy Aurigny in 2003, they made the purchase to protect slots at Gatwick seen as essential to business which can only be owned by an airline. Ever since Aurigny was taken over there's been opposition, mainly from rival airlines. A year ago, Blue Islands' Chief Executive Derek Coates suggested they might merge with Aurigny.
'It dosen't make sense that ultimately we have an airline such as Aurigny costing our taxpayers. It's got to become privatised one day, and I believe that the way that could happen is that we could come together and share our overheads and ensure we have the secure airlinks and we don't beat each other up too much'.
The idea was rubbished at the time by Aurigny's managing director Malcolm Hart: 'The most difficult issue, and probably why it will never happen, is control of the slots at Gatwick. Because you can't have a majority private ownership and still guarantee the island will still have control over those slots. It's something that's hugely difficult to reconcile and it's the least of my worries at the moment frankly'.
The States and Blue Islands will now negotiate terms for two months before a final decision on the sale.
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New slogan
Am I alone in thinking that Aurigny's new slogan, 'Run away to Guernsey', encourages tax evasion? We shan't have to worry after Blue Islands buys it out - the airline will be down the drain within the hour... 
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Merger Makes Sense
Can't help but disagree with AERO MAD's view, the consolidation of two fine airlines makes sense, as does the return to private ownership from public for Aurigny. Hopefully what will eventually emerge will be a strong airline to serve some important regional markets.
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Smacks of a behind the scenes stich up to me. And it looks like Flybe think the same, judging from this, on their website:
Flybe statement on proposed Aurigny sale
Following the news that Aurigny is being sold to Blue Islands without an open bidding process, Flybe has called for a full and independent Inquiry to be urgently convened to examine the matter in detail.
Flybe has the longest unbroken record of service of any airline to Guernsey, has provided lifeline routes to and from the island in good economic times and bad, without recourse to a single penny of public subsidy, and is very disappointed that it has not been invited to make an offer for Aurigny.
Flybe would like to place on the record that it has, since 2003, tabled a number of bids - the last of which was just 18 months ago – to acquire Aurigny. All of these bids have contained an offer of legally binding guarantees to protect the slots at London Gatwick for Guernsey services. To our disappointment, Flybe has been rebuffed by the States on every occasion, the most recent of which was Feb 2010.
Flybe is extremely concerned that the proposed deal between Blue Island and Aurigny will result in yet more taxpayers money being wasted on clearing debts and writing off loans. Flybe confirms that it would be prepared to enter into an open and transparent bidding process that it believes will present a better outcome than the smoke-filled-room solution being promised by Blue Islands.
Flybe statement on proposed Aurigny sale
Following the news that Aurigny is being sold to Blue Islands without an open bidding process, Flybe has called for a full and independent Inquiry to be urgently convened to examine the matter in detail.
Flybe has the longest unbroken record of service of any airline to Guernsey, has provided lifeline routes to and from the island in good economic times and bad, without recourse to a single penny of public subsidy, and is very disappointed that it has not been invited to make an offer for Aurigny.
Flybe would like to place on the record that it has, since 2003, tabled a number of bids - the last of which was just 18 months ago – to acquire Aurigny. All of these bids have contained an offer of legally binding guarantees to protect the slots at London Gatwick for Guernsey services. To our disappointment, Flybe has been rebuffed by the States on every occasion, the most recent of which was Feb 2010.
Flybe is extremely concerned that the proposed deal between Blue Island and Aurigny will result in yet more taxpayers money being wasted on clearing debts and writing off loans. Flybe confirms that it would be prepared to enter into an open and transparent bidding process that it believes will present a better outcome than the smoke-filled-room solution being promised by Blue Islands.
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Of course Flybe are going to whinge - sounds pretty 'Branson-esque' to me (VS and BA/AA spring to mind); just throwing their toys out the pram.
If they got Aurigny, they would more or less have the monopoly to the UK. You'd see fares sky rocket the day after the deal was completed.
Sadly, Aurigny was never going to be around as it is for much longer; its stuck in its ways, running old aircraft and has been absolutely hammered by Blue Islands. If slightly more progressive management had been at the helm, things might have turned out slightly differently. However, being owned by the States, they could never take too many risks.
If they got Aurigny, they would more or less have the monopoly to the UK. You'd see fares sky rocket the day after the deal was completed.
Sadly, Aurigny was never going to be around as it is for much longer; its stuck in its ways, running old aircraft and has been absolutely hammered by Blue Islands. If slightly more progressive management had been at the helm, things might have turned out slightly differently. However, being owned by the States, they could never take too many risks.