Guernsey airline Aurigny reduces flights to Southampton

Guernsey-based Aurigny is temporarily restructuring its timetable until a fully serviceable fleet is available – which is expected to be on July 4.

The news comes after travellers endured lengthy delays and flight cancellations this month.

Vic Styles and his wife Lorraine, from Warsash, were exhausted after being diverted to Gatwick from Guernsey at the end of a relaxing holiday.

The pair will now not return to the second-largest Channel Island until the ‘airlines sort themselves out’.

Nearby regional routes will be consolidated to reduce the level of flying, with lifeline London routes facing minimal disruption.

All summer European destinations remain unaffected, Aurigny has confirmed.

The spate of recent issues include ‘multiple unexpected technical events’ and wet-lease (an arrangement covering the hire of an aircraft including the provision of a flight crew) issues and global spares shortages.

When travelling to Guernsey on May 13 for a four-night getaway, neither Vic or Lorraine Styles expected to face such delays.

Vic, 80, said: “We were due to depart from Southampton Airport at 8.10am, and when we arrived, we were told it was delayed by two hours.

“We eventually arrived in Guernsey, then returned to Guernsey Airport on the Friday.

“When we arrived we found out our 2.10pm flight was pushed back to 3pm, then we were told it had been cancelled altogether when we were having a drink in the departures bar.”

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The pair chose to board a flight to London Gatwick that evening to avoid being stuck on Guernsey for another day.

But this was not without its challenges.

Vic said: “We arrived home around 8pm, three hours later than planned. We were very tired after it all, especially as Gatwick Airport was so manic as well.

“We love Guernsey and we will go back again once the airlines sort themselves out. In the meantime, we will go on a cruise.”

Aurigny CEO Nico Bezuidenhout (Image: Orchard PR)

Aurigny CEO Nico Bezuidenhout apologised for the disruption faced by travellers in recent months.

He said: “The challenges we face are not due to the launch of new routes or any conflict between profitability and reliability, but stem from unforeseeable events that have unexpectedly reduced our capacity.

“By consolidating some of our routes, we can provide a more reliable service for passengers travelling on our busiest routes.

“We appreciate our customers’ patience between now and 4 July and look forward to running a fully serviceable fleet that will provide the standard of service that we strive for.”