Updates on aviation in the Channel Islands
Updates on aviation in the Channel Islands
CI Aviation looks back on the departure of G-NSEY, one year on from when it was retired from the Aurigny fleet
In May 2013 Flybe announced it would be selling its slots at London Gatwick to easyJet for £20m due to an increase in airport charges. The airline operated 34 flights a week between Gatwick and Guernsey.
The last Flybe operated flight was set to be the 29th March 2014, setting a deadline for Aurigny on how it could improve the link between Gatwick and Guernsey.
In 2012 Aurigny carried 200,000 passengers on the London route, whilst Flybe carried 146,000. It was argued that there was no practical way for these extra passengers to be accommodated on Aurigny without a rethink.
Three propositions were set out:
What was clear was that the purchase of new aircraft would be necessary.
Guernsey’s Treasury and Resources Department had therefore asked the States for permission to guarantee any loans or leases Aurigny might have to take out, or to provide the company with a loan.
The proposals were debated by the States on the 30th of July and it was announced that a loan had been agreed. There were calls for the plane to only be allowed to be used on the Guernsey – Gatwick route but these weren’t agreed to.
In August 2013 it was then announced Aurigny had ordered a new 122-seat Embraer 195 aircraft to be delivered in June 2014. The price was revealed as “something well below £25m” by the then Aurigny interim chief executive Mark Darby.
Because the aircraft wouldn’t be arriving until mid-June 2014 and the Flybe route was expected to end on the 29th of March a wet lease was planned to be brought in during the period to ensure capacity in the interim.
The E195 aircraft was registered as G-NSEY (a nod to the islands name) and then delivered to the airline on the 27th of June 2014. It entered into service on the Gatwick route on the 3rd of July.
Image Credit Ainonline
The aircraft regularly operated services to Gatwick and Manchester but occasionally got to stretch its legs on longer services to European sun destinations.
During its period in service with the airline it accumulated just over 13,490 hours of flying, equivalent to about 1.5 years in the air.
In August 2015 the aircraft received a lightning strike to its tail as it approached Gatwick airport, but was soon able to return to service.
In 2020, during the COVID pandemic and whilst the Gatwick route was suspended, the aircraft was kept busy flying charters for the Racing Point Formula 1 Team. The aircraft was reportedly used to shuttle parts of the team around during the European legs of the Formula 1 season.
In 2023, it was revealed that Aurigny was to sell the jet and replace it with two new leased ATR 72-600 aircraft. Replacing the E195 would progress the airline to a more streamlined and efficient service, reducing the complexities of crew training, scheduling and maintenance.
ATRs also “consumed 36% less fuel per passenger on the route between Guernsey and Gatwick” according to Aurigny.
To make up for the lost seat capacity through selling the jet, Aurigny CEO Nico Bezuidenhout said “we plan to have more daily flights to London, going from the current six to nine.” This increased capacity would largely come through the re-introduction of the London City service by the airline.
It was also revealed that the jet required costly maintenance work and the exit of the aircraft from the fleet was a time-sensitive matter.
So on the 31st May 2024 the aircraft bid Aurigny and Guernsey a final farewell and was flown to Exeter for storage with the callsign “AUR195P”.
It was later revealed that Aurigny had sold the jet to US-based leasing firm Azorra Aviation.
The aircraft then spent nearly a year in maintenance and storage in Exeter. It was originally planned to be delivered to Lumiwings in Greece but apparently they did not want to take on the aircraft due to the high ammount of airframe pressurisaition cycles it had accumulated with Aurigny.
It was eventually delivered to AirSERBIA on the 24th April this year, with the new registration YU-ATC. The aircraft has since entered service with the airline.
For more information on Aurigny check out the other pages of our website.