GUERNSEY cannot wait until the runway ‘breaks’ before fixing it, the Channel Islands director of civil aviation has warned.

Fergus Woods (pictured), who is responsible for ensuring safety regulations are followed at all three Channel Island airports, said he was excited by the challenge of taking the runway project forward.

The capital spending prioritisation debate, at which the States will decide which major capital project [Les Beaucamps, mental health, or the runway] will take precedence, has been put back two months to May, but Mr Woods was in no doubt how important the runway refurbishment is.

‘The runway refurbishment in Guernsey is top of my list,’ he said.

‘Its surface, in terms of its friction and durability, is holding up better than we had expected, but it will only go on so long.

‘At some point you have to invest in your infrastructure.’

Mr Woods, who was appointed as the joint Bailiwick and Jersey director of civil aviation in January after holding the post in Guernsey for just over a year, could not estimate how long the runway would last before falling below safety standards.