Iconic little yellow plane retires

Sunday 28 June 2015

He’s become the star of children’s books and has a big fan club but today marks the end of an era in local aviation - Aurigny’s Joey is flying commercially for the last time ever.

More than 5,000 people have joined a campaign on Facebook to save the little yellow Trislander but the company has confirmed that G-JOEY will be retiring once he touches down in Guernsey tonight.

Aurigny’s Media Relations Manager Euan Mahy said Joey who’s almost 40-years old has got too old to keep flying passengers back and forth to the UK.

He said every year the iconic plane has to undergo an intensive and expensive check up to make sure it's airworthy and the airline has decided it's uneconomic to keep doing it.

They've got two new planes, both Dornier 228s which are being painted in Aurigny colours and will be coming into service in the next few weeks. Mr Mahy said they'll be able to fly more people and their baggage faster, can perform better in crosswinds and are quieter aircraft than Joey.

The company hopes Joey will be preserved in a museum and say his legacy will live on in all his books and merchandise and on the Funzone page on Aurigny's website.

Joey is due to land in Guernsey tonight at 7.30 pm.

(Picture credit: Jean-Marie Urlacher)