Delays to continue into next week - Aurigny

Guernsey airline Aurigny has warned disruption to its flight services will continue into next week.

The company's chief commercial officer Sundeep Ghai said delays were being caused as it did not have "enough operating capacity".

He said the recent delays had also been caused by fog, bird strikes and technical issues with the current fleet.

Aurigny said it was working to ensure normal service "resumed as quickly as possible".

One of its leased planes had been sent to Toulouse, France, for an inspection and would be out of action until its landing gear was replaced, which is hoped to be resolved in the next 10 days.

Aurigny said it had been using smaller aircrafts like its Dorniers to operate routes in and out of Birmingham.

Mr Ghai said the airline had also called captains off from leave to try to work through the backlog of flights.

He said: "The team has been working until three in the morning to address the disruption, so they are trying.

"Today we've managed to only have five cancellations."

Aurigny said it was also looking for other options to find more "wet-leased" planes, but Mr Ghai said it would be "difficult in the height of summer".

Mr Ghai said the arrival of Aurigny's fifth ATR had been delayed due to a global shortage of spare parts and is due to arrive in "the first half of October".

He said its fourth ATR G-PEMB was now back in action and was being "slowly eased back into service".

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