Politicians in Alderney have been told they were wrong to contact Aurigny’s shareholder about concerns over recent flight disruptions – and the data doesn’t support what they’re saying anyway.
That’s according to the States’ Trading Supervisory Board (STSB), which fully owns the airline, adding that it was “not part of and does not report to the States of Alderney”.
Alderney’s top political committee, Policy and Finance (P&F) wrote to the STSB on Tuesday highlighting public complaints over “frequent cancellations and delays, sometimes communicated with minimal notice”, as well as “operational disruption”.
Deputy Mark Helyar, STSB President, said it was a “breach of protocol” for them to contact the STSB, as “the government of one island does not interfere in the governance of the other”.
He said the criticism was “disappointing given the data”, which did “not support the assertions made”.
Alderney’s most senior politician has hit back at STSB’s response.
Admonishing Alderney
P&F President Jeannie Cameron told Express it was “disappointing” the STSB letter spent two pages out of five “admonishing” Alderney’s government, rather than engaging in “constructive engagement”.
Ms Cameron said the response was “not conducive to the spirit of cooperation that should underpin working relationships across the Bailiwick”.
More resilient
A spokesperson for STSB said data shared by Aurigny with Alderney’s politicians “clearly demonstrated performance on the island’s air routes had seen significant improvement since the introduction of Twin Otter aircraft in late 2025”.
The service, which is operated by Skybus on Aurigny’s behalf, was “now more resilient, carrying more passengers during the same period last year, but during a period of significantly worse weather”, they added.
Any concerns the States of Alderney had over air connectivity were “a matter for” Guernsey’s top political committee, Policy and Resources (P&R) they said.
STSB said it had “redirected” P&F to “the appropriate channels” under the Public Service Obligation contract between the two islands’ governments.
Better communication needed
Deputy Helyar said he did “acknowledge and understand frustration in Alderney at the end of a long winter”, but felt air travel had improved “by any reasonable measure”.
STSB had “already raised with Aurigny management the need for more timely and accurate information to passengers during periods of disruption and fleet changes, and we continue to review and challenge performance levels as Aurigny’s shareholder,” he added.
Regrettable tone
Ms Cameron told Express the tone STSB adopted in its response was “regrettable and does not assist in addressing the substantive concerns that prompted our original correspondence”.
She contended: “At no point in our letter did we suggest that the STSB reports to the States of Alderney.
“On the contrary, our letter explicitly acknowledged that the STSB acts as the shareholder representative for the States of Guernsey in overseeing Aurigny’s performance against the Public Service Obligation (PSO) and broader service expectations, an acknowledgment that is itself reflected on page three of the STSB’s response.”
Ms Cameron said P&F’s letter “sought assistance in understanding the current position regarding the reliability of air services to Alderney, an issue that has been consistently raised by members of the Alderney community”.
No constitutional concerns
She said it was “entirely appropriate” for P&F to contact STSB to “obtain clarity on the situation”.
“The suggestion in the response that our correspondence raises Bailiwick constitutional concerns is difficult to reconcile with the straightforward purpose of our request,” she added.
While P&F was “fully aware that the STSB does not operate Aurigny”, it has “a central role in overseeing the performance” of the airline, she said.
Alderney public opinion
Ms Cameron said: “The response also notes that it is not the role of the STSB to manage public opinion in Alderney.
“That is correct, and it is precisely the responsibility of the States of Alderney to do so.”
Ms Cameron said P&F wanted “to obtain the understanding and clarity necessary to communicate accurately with the people of Alderney about the current position and what they might reasonably expect going forward”.
She said it was “somewhat inconsistent” that STSB said it should not receive operational complaints, “while at the same time criticising our letter for not containing sufficient particularised detail”.
You can read P&F’s original letter to the STSB in full here, while a summary of STSB’s response is here – although this is not the full five-page letter Ms Cameron refers to.
