This Is Guernsey

By Joel de Woolfson

REDUCED flights between Guernsey and Norwich were yesterday blamed on the deteriorating relationship between the airline and the East Anglian airport.

And a high-ranking source at Flybe suggested the airline might further reduce its services on the route. The airline has cancelled three flights a week from Guernsey to Norwich and from 3 May will offer a service on Saturdays only.

‘If I were a betting man I wouldn’t bet against us no longer using Norwich as a base in the future,’ the source said. Flybe has also dropped its Glasgow service from Norwich and removed the direct link with Paris.

A statement from Flybe said: ‘Flybe confirms that, in light of recent events at Norwich International Airport, it has withdrawn its service to Glasgow and, effective 3 May, reduced its frequency to Guernsey to once a week on Saturdays only.

‘In addition, effective 28 April, it has also rerouted its Norwich-Paris Charles de Gaulle service via Jersey.’

Last month Flybe and Norwich International Airport were embroiled in a row over passenger numbers between the city and Dublin.

Flybe stood to be charged £280,000 by the airport if it failed to carry 15,000 passengers on the Dublin service during the 2007-8 financial year.

It was 172 short just before the deadline so offered a one-off payment of £50,000, which was refused – so Flybe put on four extra return flights to make up the numbers and labelled Norwich ‘greedy’.

But Norwich International Airport managing director Richard Jenner said the airport wanted to hold on to Flybe.

‘We are disappointed about the Guernsey service,’ he said.

‘But there was not a huge amount of bookings for it. We are having a meeting with Flybe at a senior level this week at which we will be asking them about their future plans.

‘Hopefully that will clarify the situation and we will know where we stand. We want to keep Flybe here.’

He said the airport wanted to ensure an airline was committed to the city to avoid frequent changes in the number of flights.

Mr Jenner also conceded the two parties were having problems dealing with each other. ‘We have not been formally advised about their decision on the Glasgow route,’ he said. ‘We are hoping we can develop a positive relationship with them again. Obviously our relationship with them has suffered, but we are hoping to take it forward.’

A spokesman for the Commerce and Employment Department said any reduction in air services was regrettable.

‘We recognise, however, that passenger numbers on the Norwich route had not grown sufficiently to sustain the frequency of service provided previously,’ he said.