Aurigny Air Services Scrambles for Additional ACMI Capacity Following Aircraft Incident

Aurigny Air Services, based in Guernsey, is actively seeking additional aircraft capacity on an ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance) basis after a DHC-8-Q400 it wet-leased from Luxwing experienced a runway excursion at Guernsey airport on April 23. The incident has led to the grounding of the aircraft, 9H-LWB (msn 4332), pending an investigation, resulting in the cancellation of select flights due to the airline’s current fleet being fully utilized.

Nico Bezuidenhout, CEO of Aurigny, expressed concerns about the duration of the investigation and the aircraft’s grounding. “We are exploring the market for backup capacity to ensure our operations can continue smoothly should this aircraft remain unavailable for an extended period,” he stated in a conversation with the Guernsey Press.

To manage immediate capacity needs, Aurigny temporarily wet-leased an Airbus A320-200 from Titan Airways for a single rotation from Guernsey to London Gatwick on April 25. This stopgap solution underscores the challenges the airline faces with its fleet, which has been compounded by maintenance delays, ACMI difficulties, and fleet transition issues.

Further complicating the fleet situation, one of Aurigny’s three ATR72-600s, G-ORAI (msn 1599), is currently out of service undergoing prolonged maintenance in Dinard/St. Malo, with a scheduled return by May 10. Following its return, additional aircraft are slated for maintenance checks.

Aurigny is also in the process of phasing out its sole jet, an E195 G-NSEY (msn 19000671), which was initially set to be retired by the end of March 2024. However, due to the ongoing capacity shortages, the retirement was postponed, and the aircraft continued operations until April 22. It is now planned to be sold by the end of April, with replacements in the form of two additional ATR72-600s expected to arrive in late May and August.

The airline has encountered several challenges with ACMI providers in the past, including an earlier partnership with Eastern Airways that was affected by maintenance and supply chain issues. Currently, Aurigny is also wet-leasing another DHC-8-Q400 from Avanti Air, as it navigates through these operational difficulties.

This situation highlights the broader challenges faced by regional carriers like Aurigny in maintaining consistent service amidst unexpected disruptions and fleet management issues.