While travel between Guernsey and Jersey has been in the spotlight recently, there’s been a lot of work going on a bit further north with Alderney looking to benefit from numerous new connections with Jersey and France, as well as its regular routes with Guernsey.
Alderney Ferry Services is operating regular Alderney-Guernsey sailings, and it also offers charter services between Alderney or Guernsey and Cherbourg.
Its recent inter-island sailings have been busy with this week’s sailings filling up in advance.
Alderney Ferry Services has been sailing between the islands since 2022.
It receives a subsidy from the States of Alderney to offer a year round service, with an increased number of sailings during the summer and other busy times of year.
Alderney’s Economic Development Committee says AFS has transported “over 10,000 passengers” between Guernsey and Alderney in the three years since it launched.
There’s a good chance the agreement between AFS and the States could last for more years to come, with the EDC saying that a “renewed agreement could also run till 2027 subject to review by both parties”.
While Alderney has only had regular links with Guernsey in recent years, that has changed this year with a number of offerings linking the northern island with Jersey and France.
Water Taxis CI has started a service between Alderney and Jersey with an initial agreement for 2025, with a chance of extending any service in to 2026.
The EDC said initial reports suggested the service was welcomed in Jersey, with hopes it will encourage Jersey visitors to travel to Alderney without having to go via Guernsey first.
“The operator is currently undertaking a marketing campaign in Jersey working with Visit Alderney,” said a spokesperson.
The Chair of Alderney’s Economic Development, Stuart Clark said Guernsey remains a priority for the island though.
“As a first step, ensuring the ferry service between Alderney and Guernsey continued was of paramount importance for the Committee. It supports the visitor economy and residents alike, whilst complementing the air services provided by Aurigny on the lifeline routes, which are provided under the public service obligation”
He added: “A successful tender process for the Jersey route is also a great step forward in developing inter-island connectivity. We’re pleased that Water Taxi CI is committing to an intense marketing campaign to ramp up the service and there has been an encouraging amount of traction on social media since the States of Alderney’s announcement about the service on 23rd May.”
Jersey’s Minister for Sustainable Economic Development, Deputy Kirsten Morel agreed that any links between Alderney and Jersey are positive and he hoped that people will make use of the services this year.
“I am pleased to have worked with the States of Alderney to improve the links between our islands by delivering a new air route for this summer. I look forward to continuing to build on these links to find new areas of cooperation and learn from each other in areas such as tourism, heritage and energy.”
Water Taxi’s CI isn’t the only option for traveling between Alderney and Jersey though, with Finistair now providing an inter-island air-link, with flights on to Brest in France too.
Mr Clark said the direct air link with both Jersey and France has been welcomed by many in Alderney and he hopes it will also be successful.
“This is an exciting opportunity for our island, not only in respect of inter-island travel, but for regional connectivity too. We’re of the view that Finistair and Water Taxi Ci will complement one another and provide us valuable data for the demand on this route, without detracting in any material way from the two critically important PSO lifeline routes operated by Aurigny.
“It demonstrates Alderney’s desire to encourage economic revitalisation by improving connectivity to and from the island, as has been expressed in several States’ debates on Alderney’s connectivity in Guernsey.”