Aurigny changes flight schedule after tail strike

Guernsey airline Aurigny has changed some of its flight schedules between 19 May and 7 June due to a lack of aircraft availability.

The decision follows the temporary removal of one aircraft from service due to a tail strike in April.

Aurigny said it was "proactively" announcing the changes early due to a lack of leasable aircraft to replace the damaged plane.

It said 4% of customers will be affected by the changes and "nine out of 10" will be able to travel on the same day as originally planned.

Aurigny advised customers travelling between 19 May and 7 June to check their emails for information.

Philip Smallwood, chief operations officer at Aurigny, said: "We know schedule changes are inconvenient, but we will not knowingly risk jeopardising our communities' travel plans on the day of travel.

"We're taking decisive action now, so that our operational capacity is more closely aligned to our flying programme and that our customers can continue to travel and book with confidence this summer."

He added: "Though this is a necessary step to ensure a reliable service for all our customers, we recognise it will cause inconvenience for some, and we're genuinely sorry for the disruption this may cause to them."

Aurigny added that seven new pilots had been recruited which it said would bolster its capacity over the peak summer season.

The airline said affected customers would be offered full flexibility to travel on an alternative date and route, where necessary.

It said they would also be offered full refunds if preferred and customers would be emailed details of their specific options.

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