Guernsey airline Aurigny lost £6.5 million in 2024 despite record passenger numbers
The government-owned operator says its expenditure was driven by the unexpected cost of leasing aircraft to cover technical problems that kept some of its fleet grounded last year, as well as global supply chain issues.
Aurigny adds that it avoided £10 million of maintenance costs by selling the 122-seater Embraer jet.
Roger Pratt, the airline's Chief Financial Officer, explains: "The short-term pressures we faced in 2024, particularly the need for significant wet leasing, are easing and the decisions made last year - including fleet simplification - will help secure longer-term financial stability.
"Whilst this was a challenging year that in many ways both Aurigny and its passengers will wish to put behind them, we connected more people than ever before, supported the island's visitor economy, and protected essential lifeline routes."
The airline dealt with 570,000 passengers in 2024, 3% more than the previous year.
£1.7 million
Operating profit in 2023
Deputy Peter Roffey, the outgoing President of Guernsey's States Trading Supervisory Board, spoke about the situation in April, describing Aurigny's 2024 performance as "a fairly disastrous year".
However, he added that previous strong earnings mean the airline will not be asking the taxpayer for extra funding.
In 2023, the operator posted a profit of £1.7 million and it made £6 million in 2022.
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