While the States did approve Guernsey’s own open skies policy, it did so with a caveat of the island’s two “lifeline” routes being protected.
TravelWatch – the Manx travel watchdog and pressure group – said this was the right way to do things in a statement to the island’s media. It regularly urges the Isle of Man government to look at its open skies policy, and has long-advocated for a system with “light touch regulation”, akin to that to come into force in Guernsey.
TravelWatch’s aviation spokesman, Terry Liddiard, said such an approach makes sense for the Isle of Man too: “Guernsey is particularly dependant on one route in as much as Gatwick – that counts for a huge proportion of their business – and their Gatwick route has prospered particularly in the last few years, whereas we have seen what used to be a four or five times a day operation is now down to a situation where often we only have one flight a day to Gatwick, and that in the evening.
“Businesses in the island are certainly suffering and are very much concerned about it all.”
Previously, however, an Isle of Man minister went on the record with media to dismiss claims that their open skies policy – which was introduced around 30 years ago – had had a negative impact.
Enterprise Minsiter Laurence Skelley contacted Guernsey States members before the debate took place earlier in the month to say that the it had “served them well”.
He claimed the cost had gone down for the average Manx passenger, encouraging more frequent travel.
2017 recorded a record year for passenger numbers at the Isle of Man airport.
More about Guernsey’s Open Skies policy can be found here.
