Flying anywhere will cost more

By Joel de Woolfson

TOURISM in Guernsey will be as affected by rising fuel charges as any other destination, the director of marketing and tourism for the Commerce and Employment Department said.

Chris Elliott, who was responding to the announcement by airlines yesterday that airfares were set to rise because of increasing oil costs, said the department would be monitoring the situation closely.

‘This is a worldwide story and of concern to any tourist destination,’ he said.

‘However, although I’m not happy about it costing more to get to Guernsey, we must bear in mind that it will cost more to fly to any destination.

‘Guernsey takes less than an hour to reach from most of the UK airports that serve it, so the effect should not be so severe as it will be for some long-haul destinations.’

Aurigny, which has spent £500,000 more on fuel than it had budgeted for because of global oil prices rising by 40% this year, said it was inevitable that fares would have to go up so that airlines could ‘just stand still’. Blue Islands and Flybe have both hinted that price rises could be expected.

It was announced yesterday that big airlines were increasing fuel surcharges on flights to try to alleviate some of the burden.
Long-haul flights with British Airways will, from Tuesday, carry a fuel surcharge of £218 on top of the return ticket price, an increase of £30 per flight.

The recent record prices of crude oil, as high as $135 a barrel, have led to strikes across Europe, with fishermen and lorry drivers staging protests.