Air route between islands deemed essential link

The decision comes after Blue Islands, announced on Friday it had suspended trading and cancelled all future flights

The flight path between Guernsey and Jersey will be designated an "essential air route" from January, the States of Guernsey has said.

In an effort to increase resilience on the route, the Committee for Economic Development said any operator intending to service the route from 15 January 2026 would need a licence.

The decision comes after the collapse of Channel Islands airline Blue Islands last week.

The committee said licensing would allow for minimum service levels to be set and managed by the States' Transport Licensing Authority.

Economic Development President Sasha Kazantseva-Miller said the collapse of Blue Islands had "caused significant uncertainty to bailiwick and wider Channel Islands air services".

She said the committee met on Sunday to "consider how best to provide assurance to travellers, especially over Christmas and the New Year, and also to provide longer-term resilience from 2026 onwards".

"We did so in light of significant developments during the last year with regards transport connectivity," she said.

"This approach will support a long-term solution through a formal process, but will also enable travellers to make plans through the Christmas and New Year period."

Deputy Kazantseva-Miller said the committee was confident islanders would have access to flights between Jersey and Guernsey over the festive period with two airlines currently serving the route.

Any airline could fly the route without a licence prior to the new arrangements coming into force.