Guernsey to Heathrow route to launch in April

Flights between Guernsey and Heathrow are expected to launch in April next year

A new British Airways route between Heathrow and Guernsey airports has been set up.

The services operating at lunchtime from the UK's busiest airport will start in April as part of a three-year deal with flights appearing on the airline's website on Thursday.

Guernsey's top political committee voted by majority against subsidising the service, but it is expected the route will be supported by the Committee for Economic Development and the States Trading Supervisory Board in other ways.

Alan Sillett from the Guernsey Hospitality Association welcomed the news: "This is fantastic news, exactly the kind of investment in connectivity Guernsey needs right now."

In 2019 Guernsey's States launched a daily direct service between Guernsey and Heathrow, marking the first such link in over 20 years.

The route was subsidised by the States of Guernsey with £825,000 in funding and ceased in March 2020, coinciding with Flybe's collapse.

In March the States confirmed it was investigating the possibility of a route to Heathrow and last week the Committee for Economic Development (ED) said "talks to start operating flights between Guernsey and London Heathrow had been opened."

ED is understood to have wanted a big carrier like British Airways to come to the island, following the success of its new 15-year contract with Brittany Ferries.

It hopes this could lead to increased connectivity provided by the airline.

Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller's committee had been keen to operate a route from Guernsey to Heathrow

'Diversifying airlines a priority'

During the last political term, ED led by Deputy Neil Inder comissioned a report by external consultants Frontier Economics, which cost £45,000.

Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller who now leads the committee has said she will use that work to design a new air policy framework for the island.

Guernsey introduced an open skies policy in 2018, following a vote by deputies.

It meant for many routes airlines no longer needed a Guernsey air transport licence to operate flights to and from the island.

In her update to States members in September, Kazantseva-Miller said: "Whilst the existing framework, updated in 2021, served its intended purpose to provide the necessary support to Aurigny following the difficult operating environment post Covid, it is now viewed as not enabling Guernsey's air connectivity requirements.

"Diversifying the number of airlines serving Guernsey was a priority of the previous committee and continues this term."

Aurigny has said the introduction of a route between Heathrow and Guernsey could lead to it cutting some of its services, including its London City route.