Press Release - runway project team reveals Alderney options

Mission accomplished - runway project team reveals Alderney options 

Around 300 Islanders attended a public drop-in session when experts from Guernsey revealed the options on the table that will ensure Alderney Airport's future in the years ahead.

Guernsey Ports managing director Colin Le Ray, chief operating officer Ross Coppolo and States Trading Group's Communications Manager Jim Anderson, accompanied by Aurigny CEO Nico Bezuidenhout and Head of Flight Operations Carl Phelan, discussed the three options and answered questions from the public.

Eager to include the Island's next generation in the debate, Mr Le Ray then attended St Anne's School to talk to Year 10 and 11 pupils who will now produce their own projects on the subject of the Airport.

The options presented to Islanders were:

·     Option A - Full rehabilitation of the existing 877m-long asphalt runway with widening to 23m, improved drainage and lighting, and symmetrical turning heads at either end. The advantages of this option are a runway life of 15 to 20 years or more and fewer operating constraints for aircraft such as the Dornier, Twin Otter or Islander. However, larger aircraft such as Aurigny's ATR-72, business jets or a dedicated medevac aircraft would be excluded, and significant repeating annual savings on the cost of the PSO would not be enabled, potentially leaving Alderney's vital air links vulnerable at the end of the current PSO term.

·     Option B - Rehabilitation as above with additional groundwork to accommodate larger aircraft at a future date, together with realignment of the Bravo taxiway which would be required for a larger aircraft should a runway extension be built in the future.

·     Option C - A longer runway extended to the west, taking the length to around 1,050m at a width of either 23m or 30m with associated improvements to the taxiway and apron. This would require improvements to the terminal building, fire station and airport security arrangements, and was found to be the preferred option among a majority of the public who attended.

Bill Abel, Chairman of Alderney's Policy & Finance Committee, thanked the visiting teams for coming to the Island and Paul Veron, States of Alderney Strategic Advisor for Transport, for his contribution to the event's success.  

"The displays were informative and the professional way that the Airports and Aurigny officers engaged with members of the community reflected the level of work and their understanding of the options being presented," he said.

"It was clear that those attending were given a better understanding of the options being evaluated and the potential benefits to the Island. States of Alderney and Chamber of Commerce Members who attended were clear that an extended, modernised and widened runway made the most sense and would future-proof the Island's air infrastructure.

"Understandably, not everyone who attended was in support of Option C and the use of ATR aircraft, and these views were also of value to the Ports and Aurigny teams."

 

The case for an extended runway

Mr Bezuidenhout explained to attendees that if the runway was extended to allow the operation of larger ATR aircraft he envisaged morning and evening rotations to Guernsey and a daily Alderney flight to and from Southampton. This would provide an additional 20,000 seats on the Alderney routes, thus providing an important economic enabler for Alderney and the Bailiwick.

He also explained the fuel, aircraft ownership and other savings that would be achieved by using one type of fleet aircraft. The additional costs of extending the runway and improving the Airport infrastructure could be offset in the longer-term as the costs to the Bailiwick through subsidies would be reduced along with subsequent environmental benefits too. This would make Alderney services more financially sustainable in the future, a critically important driver for Option C.

States of Alderney Members are also acutely aware that the airport terminal building is reaching its 'end of life' and will need to be rebuilt soon whatever the outcome voted for by Guernsey's Policy & Resources Committee.

"The payback to the Bailiwick is that Option C will save money in the long-term and Alderney will benefit from increased numbers of visitors and people wanting to live here, thus benefiting the economy and contributing more in tax," Mr Abel concluded.

Having listened to the views of Islanders, the next step is for Guernsey's States' Trading Supervisory Board, which has political responsibility for Guernsey Ports, to make its recommendations to the Guernsey Policy & Resources Committee, along with a detailed business case.

Ends