Review absolves Aurigny management of misjudgement

An assessment of Aurigny’s fleet and its operational choices made in 2024 concluded that there was “no evidence of negligence or gross misjudgement by management”. The States Trading Supervisory Board (STSB) initiated this inquiry following a year marked by operational issues for the States-owned carrier. The review identified “one significant concern” regarding the company’s future: the supply and retention of pilots. Peter Roffey, President of the STSB, stated that these conclusions “should reassure islanders,” while Aurigny announced the gradual introduction of its summer timetable. The updated schedule no longer includes services to East Midlands, Liverpool, and Stansted. During a press conference, Nico Bezuidenhout, the airline’s CEO, indicated that the company would not achieve profitability this year, primarily attributing this to the expenses associated with wet-leasing several substitute aircraft. The fifth ATR-72 for Aurigny’s fleet is anticipated to reach the island in mid-November, a delay from its original October projection. Kevin George, chairman of the airline’s board, commented: “We completely understand the impact and consequences that Aurigny’s reliability challenges have had on the Guernsey community and unreservedly apologise for this.” Captain Douglas Brown and Mark Elliott, both former British Airways personnel, conducted the review for the STSB at a cost of £65,000. Their report noted that pilot turnover at the airline had been elevated, though they clarified it was not a “unique” issue for Aurigny. They advised that the airline must implement “extraordinary measures” to recruit and retain qualified flight crew to maintain its advertised flight schedule. The report’s authors emphasized that “a shortfall of pilots” persisted as a primary concern. The review affirmed that Aurigny’s choice to divest its Embraer jet in November 2023 was “right,” suggesting that without it, the circumstances “might have been worse than experienced.” Mr. Bezuidenhout stated that retaining the jet would have incurred a £10m expense for the company, as it required a particular maintenance cycle. Aurigny’s strategy involved replacing the jet with two ATR aircraft, but the procurement of these permanent substitutes encountered delays. The STSB’s assessment attributed the operational disruptions experienced by the airline to a sequence of technical problems, which the authors indicated “couldn’t have been planned for.” Mr. Roffey concurred that factors beyond the airline’s influence contributed to what the airline’s CEO characterized as a “difficult” year. Roffey elaborated: “The late delivery of its newly leased aircraft left Aurigny very exposed to factors that were outside of its control, which included failures by some of its wet-lease suppliers.” He added: “The reviewers concluded these events could not reasonably have been foreseen.” In August, an apology was issued by officials after an Aurigny flight was compelled to turn back and return to its origin, having been 244m (800ft) from Guernsey’s runway. The airline reported that air traffic control had consented to prolong its operational hours until 23:35, but the flight failed to meet this deadline by approximately “90 seconds.” The review included recommendations from its authors for “a review of the airport’s opening hours and staffing needs” and expressed their conviction that “a more collaborative approach” between the airport and airlines would be beneficial. Earlier in 2024, the airport, as noted by the reviewers, implemented a “hard” closure at 21:15 on Tuesdays, with limited possibilities for extensions, a measure that two airlines reportedly opposed. The airline’s board concurred with the suggestion for enhanced cooperation between the airport and airlines.