Air fares higher than other islands, report finds

It costs air travellers up to 30% more to fly to and from Guernsey on high demand UK routes when compared to Jersey and the Isle of Man, a report has found.

The independent review commissioned by the Committee for Economic Development (CED) in August looked at connectivity, reliability and affordability for air services to Guernsey.

It found the island had a similar number of routes and flights as the other islands and that it "performed as well or better" with fewer delays and cancellations comparatively between 2010 and 2023.

CED President Deputy Neil Inder said the report was in response to "significant concerns" raised by the public, business community and travellers.

He said: "In some good news, the report demonstrates that the current approach to air connectivity seems to be working in as much as there is reasonable connectivity to UK destinations with a similar number of routes and flights to Guernsey, compared to similar jurisdictions.

"However, despite the positive market confidence we are seeing, passenger figures are still recovering from pre-pandemic levels and affordability of air fares is an area of concern where improvement is needed."

In November, the States announced air fares to and from Alderney would rise in an attempt to reduce taxpayer spending on flights.

The States Trading Supervisory Board commissioned a review of Aurigny's fleet in August following a "challenging" six months for the airline.

It found "one significant concern" for the future of the company was the availability and retention of pilots.

Inder said Aurigny and Guernsey Airport, which are both States-owned assets, should be "used as economic enablers".

"Price and affordability are a factor in businesses making decisions in using the island as a base."

The CED said it would use the review to inform its own review of the Air Transport Licensing Policy Statement and that it would brief states members and businesses on it in February.

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