The Twin Otter is owned, flown and maintained by Skybus under a new contract with Aurigny.
Aurigny is promising improved reliability on the Alderney routes with the commencement of the deal with Skybus.
One of its Twin Otters has been in Bailiwick skies for the past few days and on Monday (3 November) flew into Alderney to be welcomed by politicians with a cake cutting ceremony.
But behind the reception party is a deal that Aurigny hopes will reduce costs and improve reliability on its lifeline Alderney routes, says CEO Nico Bezuidenhout:
“This service by the world-renowned De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft represents both a significant landmark in the history of Alderney’s aviation and a new era in building ever more reliable, stable, and sustainable service on the lifeline routes between Alderney and Guernsey, as well as between Alderney and Southampton."
"This step provides us with the right platform to ensure financial sustainability for this vital service well into the future.”
Skybus will own, fly and maintain de Havilland Twin Otter aircraft which will eventually be in Aurigny colours.
One will also be on standby in Alderney overnight.
Passengers are being asked to be patient as the transition to new aircraft may cause some issues.
The two, relatively new Dornier NG aircraft will leave service in January, a decade after their introduction.
The aircraft is in limited use globally with only a handful flying commercially, which increases the cost of spares and maintenance.
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