IT MAY be only on a six-month trial basis, but there should be no doubting the importance of the appointment of the first pan-Channel Islands aviation regulator.

Firstly, because it is a sign that the States is taking seriously its pledge to explore avenues for cross-island cooperation. Critics have long insisted that there are a multitude of important – and costly – roles where two people are currently doing the job of one.

In the case of the new CI director of civil aviation, it could even be argued that he is doing the job of three people as his role encompasses the airports of Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney.

Apart from cost savings, one of the benefits of such co-operation must be the calibre of the staff which can be attracted. A more varied and powerful role can be offered with, presumably, remuneration to match.

It can also be hoped that there will be a better migration of information across that tricky patch of sea water as lessons learned in one jurisdiction are applied to another. Jersey has just completed a refurbishment of its runway, for example, and such huge engineering tasks inevitably throw up specialist problems where the cost of a mistake can be measured in millions.

However, while there can be little doubt about the importance of the role – and all of us would put safety top of any list of airport priorities – it should also be clear to all how difficult a task the new director faces.

For, not only must he span the political waters of the Channel Islands, he must also bridge the divide in three islands between safety regulation and politics.

In the current climate in Guernsey, for example, the redevelopment of the airport runway is a hugely political issue. Whatever safety statements the director makes will be viewed with sometimes hostile eyes from those who would seek to spend the cash elsewhere.

It will be a challenging role, especially in the lead-up to the prioritisation debate.

However, even on a trial basis, the value of an independent voice tasked with ensuring the safety of airport users throughout the islands should not be underestimated.