Chief minister disappointed over airline decision

Jersey's chief minister has said he is disappointed Guernsey did not grant a licence to Loganair to run inter-island routes.

The Scottish airline's bid to operate to Southampton and Jersey from Guernsey had been provisionally denied by Guernsey's Transport Licensing Authority last month.

Deputy Lyndon Farnham said Guernsey had also not been responsive to DFDS applications to run increased services and both islands needed to try to work harder to find a solution to travel between them.

Deputy Andrew Niles, vice-president of the States of Guernsey's Committee for Economic Development, said the committee was "taking the time to engage" with businesses and the community before making decisions.

Last week, Jersey's sustainable economic development minister was in Guernsey to discuss sea and air links with his counterparts.

Speaking to the BBC, the chief minister said he was disappointed by some of Guernsey's recent decisions.

He said: "From Jersey's point of view, we are keen to say yes to everything. We are disappointed that Guernsey said no to Loganair.

"We're disappointed that we still haven't had a response in relation to the [ferry operator] DFDS application to run increased services between the islands.

"Jersey are here to develop inter-island transports. We want to work closely with Guernsey to do that and we're open for further discussions and look forward to finding some solutions."

Farnham said inter-island links were a "very small but important part of the economy".

He said: "I would like to see both islands double down to increase the opportunity for travel. We have to bear in mind the economies of scale.

"There is not a huge demand for inter-island travel but that is not helped by the way it's been limited.

"We work well on other areas, but I think we have got to really try harder to find a solution on inter island travel.

"Its not terribly big economically, but it's hugely important socially."

Niles said the committee's ambition was for "strong and reliable inter-island connectivity."

He said: "We recognise the importance of transport links to our islands' economies, our communities and our families, and we want to achieve the best possible interconnectivity with Jersey in a way that is sustainable and commercially robust.

"In response to comments from deputy Lyndon Farnham, it is important to be clear that Guernsey's approach is not about saying no, rather, it is about taking the time to engage properly with our businesses and our community before reaching decisions."

Niles said Guernsey remained open to "constructive dialogue" with Jersey.

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