Aurigny and Loganair both want to fly Guernsey to Jersey, a route where half the seats were not filled in 2024
- Consultation opens on licence applications from Aurigny and Loganair.
- Compare their Jersey offerings in the full story.
- Average seat occupancy rate on the Guernsey to Jersey route in 2024 was only 49%, down from 56% in 2023.
- Loganair also wants to compete on the Southampton link
- Moves follow collapse of Blue Islands.
Aurigny and Loganair have set out competing visions to the future of air travel in the Bailiwick and beyond.
Both have submitted applications to fly between Guernsey and Jersey, with the decision resting in the hands of a group of politicians known as the Transport Licensing Authority led by Deputy John Gollop.
Loganair has also applied for a licence to compete on the Southampton route and consultation is now open.
Blue Islands’ collapse led to swift moves by both operators to pick up the slack on an interim basis before more permanent licencing is agreed, needed after a decision by Economic Development to designate the Jersey route as a “lifeline” from 15th January.
Nick Mann
Figures compiled as part of Aurigny’s bid to be the sole operator to Jersey set out a stark decline in passenger numbers which not only would have contributed to Blue Island’s problems, but will leave the TLA having to consider whether there is enough potential capacity in the link to sustain two airlines on it.
Aurigny’s Nico Bezuidenhout, Chief Executive Officer, signed the cover letter for its application for the Guernsey to Jersey route.
The supporting statement focuses heavily on long-term sustainability, efficient use of resources, and leveraging its status as a government-owned entity mandated to serve the public interest.
In it he says that it is "imperative that the historic seat occupancy rate deficit relative to the UK short haul average, which represents an inefficient use of scarce resources, be addressed in the interest of sustainability".
The combined flight frequency now offered by the two carriers "exceed those previously offered by Blue Islands, suggesting a future oversupply and a consequent financial sustainability risk under the current construct".
The application "seeks to ensure a balance between supply and demand" which "allows for the structured and long-term development of the route".
The Guernsey-Jersey route has been characterised by a progressive reduction in frequency since the late 1990s, from up to 18 rotations per day in 1997.
Passenger volumes reduced by 51% between 2014 and 2024.
In 2024, 64,414 passengers used the service, down 16% from 76,777 passengers in 2023.
Last year, approximately 1,865 flight frequencies provided 130,550 seats on the route. This means the average seat occupancy rate, known as load factor, in 2024 was only 49%, a deterioration from 56% in 2023.
The average load factor for UK domestic scheduled services in both 2023 and 2024 was 71%.
Luke Farajallah, Chief Executive Officer, signed both of Loganair's applications.
He said that the recent failure of Blue Islands... "has been a sobering reminder of just how fragile the UK’s regional airline sector has become".
"Relying on a single operator, with a limited fleet size and therefore limited resilience, exposes the vital inter island route to considerable risk of failure," he said.
Loganair firmly believes there is space for two carriers to coexist on these routes, and “that resilience is best achieved through diversity of operators".
As a privately owned airline, he said that Loganair carry "no debt and do not rely on government support".
Its scale, nearly 40 aircraft, over 1.5 million passengers carried last year, "profitable and debt free, demonstrates the stability smaller operators often lack".
The airlines’ Jersey bids compared:
Aircraft
Aurigny
Primarily the 72-seater ATR 72-600. Also proposes using 17-seater Twin Otter (DHT) aircraft, particularly for midday rotations, to balance capacity and frequency.
Loganair
Primarily 72-seat ATR72 aircraft. They will investigate deploying their 19-seat Twin Otter (DH6) aircraft during the first half of 2025 to increase frequency. Backup includes the ATR42 (48 seats).
Frequency
Aurigny
A minimum of two daily services rising up to five services daily. The two daily baseline services (early morning and late afternoon/early evening) would be operated by the larger ATR aircraft.
Loganair
Minimum of a twice daily service and up to three times daily based on demand, in line with Blue Islands' previous operation.
Fare structure
Aurigny
Dynamic pricing starting from £49.99 each way, matching their entry-level price point on other lifeline services like Gatwick and Southampton. The structure uses three fare families (Light, Smart, Flexi).
Loganair
Dynamic pricing ranging from £58.99 to £93.99 one way. They also plan to offer discreet group pricing for sports and community groups.
Operational Resilience
Aurigny
Utilises latent capacity within its fleet (four max deployed out of five ATRs), has the only fully-fledged maintenance facility based in the Channel Islands, and employs in-house ground handling in Guernsey. Also has wet-lease relationships and standby crew formulas.
Loganair
Highlights its status as the UK’s largest regional airline, profitable and debt-free, with a fleet approaching 40 aircraft. It was ranked the UK’s most punctual airline in Q2 2025. Loganair is establishing a base in Jersey with plans for three permanently stationed aircraft, crews, and engineering support in 2026 to ensure rapid recovery from disruption.
Network Leverage
Aurigny
Aims to connect Jersey-originating passengers to its existing network, benefiting routes like Guernsey-Alderney and Guernsey-Paris, potentially enabling greater scale and frequency on those connections.
Loganair
Has a full codeshare agreement with British Airways, facilitating interlining opportunities across their network and onto BA’s global destinations.
Deadline nears for public comments
The public have until the 5th December to submit comment on Aurigny’s Jersey application and Loganair’s Southampton bid, and until the 15th December for Loganair’s Jersey application, which was submitted later.
Deputy Gollop, said: "Recent weeks have seen a lot of change in the landscape of Guernsey’s air travel market, representing a material shift and significant change for the travelling public.
"It is important therefore that they have the opportunity to provide feedback on the applications. We hope to hear from as many people as possible.”
Comments regarding the applications can be submitted by emailing transportlicensing@gov.gg or by mailing the Transport Licensing Authority at Sir Charles Frossard House, La Charroterie, St Peter Port, Guernsey, GY1 1FH.
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