Aurigny Air Services (GR, Guernsey) will damp-lease two DHC-6-300s under a new, long-term partnership with Skybus (United Kingdom) (IOS, Land's End) to replace its two Do228-212(NG)s by the end of 2025. The fleet upgrade underpins the multi-year extension of the airline's Public Service Obligation (PSO) for services from Alderney to Guernsey and Southampton.
Skybus will add the two incremental DHC-6-300s to its current fleet of four units of the type and begin deploying them out of Alderney on November 1, 2025. Aurigny's own Do228-212(NG)s will remain in service until the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition. The pilots will get an option to retrain for the Twin Otters with Skybus or ATR72-600s with Aurigny.
"As with Skybus’s operations in Isles of Scilly St. Mary's, our 17-seat Twin Otters will also play an integral role in the delivery of air ambulance, mail, freight, and pet travel services to and from Alderney. We’ll provide replacement aircraft from within the Skybus fleet to cover periods of maintenance, a step which will be important in delivering a high level of resilience for Alderney’s air links," Skybus’s managing director Jonathan Hinkles said.
By outsourcing the Alderney operations to Skybus, Aurigny Air Services will focus on operating its in-house fleet of five ATR72-600s out of Guernsey.
Hinkles told ch-aviation earlier this year that Skybus was actively looking at growing its Twin Otter fleet to leverage its expertise in island services and partner with other carriers.
"The year-round stability and economy of scale which this new agreement brings will enable Skybus to invest in manpower and infrastructure, ensuring that Skybus and all of our lifeline island services - whether connecting Alderney or Scilly - are robust and truly dependable," he said now.
Meanwhile, Aurigny Air Services failed to secure any slots at London Heathrow for the upcoming Winter 2025/26 season and will continue to serve London exclusively through its existing London Gatwick route.
