Just recieved a copy of Friday’s Jersey Evening Post. Actually quite good to see the other perspective on the matter. Comparison between the Guernsey Press and Star’s and The JEP’s perspectives:
Guernsey;
Locally-based aviation expert and journalist Geoff Jones described it as deplorable.
He said it was the latest in a string of sad and very expensive decisions made by the States.
‘I’m amazed at the 38-to-2 vote in favour,’ he said.
Deregulation of civil aviation started in the United States in 1978 and about five years ago in Europe.
‘There are very few parts of the world these days where it is regulated – in other words, where the state owns the airline,’ he said.
Olympic Airlines in Greece is state-owned, he said, but the Greek government was trying desperately to get rid of it due to the financial burden.
‘Whether it’s for securing slots or whatever it is, I think it’s a terribly retrograde step, particularly in today’s air transport industry.’
People were told that Guernsey would lose the Gatwick slots, but Flybe already had slots.
‘I believe there are only four, or perhaps five, slots that we have secured. Flybe has far more slots than that and they are still available.’
EasyJet had expanded its Gatwick operation phenomenally over the last two years by acquiring its own slots.
‘We should have been allowed to operate in a free-market economy and, if we lost the slots by losing British Airways, so be it. But I don’t think we’re being told the truth. If we were to operate in a free-market economy and an airline wanted to operate into Gatwick again in the future, then I think we could get the slots back.’
He said that airlines that were not run by the States were now in a difficult and embarrassing situation.
It was a myth to think that the States would not interfere with the company. There had to be interference as the States was now the majority shareholder.
‘The sooner the States divest themselves of a majority shareholding in Aurigny, the better. But whether they can do that remains to be seen.’
He said the money should have been spent on subsidising the island’s air services.
Jersey;
The States of Guernsey are to be congradulated on takingg decisive action to protect their lifeline slots at Gatwick through the purchase of Aurigny, the beneficiary of British Airways’ sudden withdrawal from services to their island.
Much criticism has been levelled at Guernsey politicians for ‘putting the clock back’ on government ownership of airlines. Yet the United States at this very moment arrangements are being made to bail out major national carriers to protect them from collapse in an exercise which more or less amounts to nationalisation.
We have to face the fact that the aviation industry is endemically highly volatile. Having an island economy heavily dependent on such an unstable transport medium, as Guernsey and Jersey are, both as finance centres and tourism destinations, is bound to produce major tensions. All this compounded when the UK is facing a capacity crisis, particularly at London airports.
There is much to talk of protecting slots for the Channel Islands’ air services, but little evidence of real political progress. In these circumstances, the members of the States of Guernsey have acted in a way that surely deserves admiration. It may entail risk, but probably much less risk than inaction.
If only British Airways had offered Aurigny our Heathrow slots.
******
Two different opinions there.
Generally the people of Guernsey have taken it as a bad idea. They are worried about a monopoly and high prices. Their sympathies lie with Le Cocq’s and Flybe.
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