| Alderney Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: ACI – ICAO: EGJA | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | States of Guernsey | ||
| Serves | Alderney | ||
| Location | St Anne | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 290 ft / 88 m | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Website | |||
| Map | |||
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EGJA
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| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 08/26 | 877 | 2,877 | Asphalt/Grass |
| 14/32 | 732 | 2,402 | Grass |
| 03/21 | 497 | 1,631 | Grass |
| Statistics (2009) | |||
| Passengers Handled | 74,835 | ||
| Movements | 8,284 | ||
| Sources: UK AIP at NATS[1] | |||
Alderney Airport (IATA: ACI, ICAO: EGJA) is the only airport on the island of Alderney. Built in 1935, Alderney Airport was the first airport in the Channel Islands. Located on the Blaye (1 NM (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) southwest of St Anne), it is the closest Channel Island airport to the south coast of England and the coast of France. Its facilities include a hangar, the Airport Fire Station and low cost, duty-free and tax-free Avgas refuelling. In 2009 the airport handled 74,835 passengers and 8,284 total movements [2] , a 3% and 6.1% decrease respectively when compared to the 2008 figures.[2]
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Alderney is unique amongst Channel Islands airports, in having three operational runways. The main runway, 08/26 is 880 m (2,887 ft) long and is mainly asphalt. The two secondary runways are both grass. 14/32 being 732 m (2,402 ft) long, with 03/21 having a length of 497 m (1,631 ft). The main runway is equipped with low intensity lighting, with portable lighting being available on runway 14/32. The approach and runway lights were replaced in 2006 by Ian Tugby (States of Alderney member), a local building contractor.
The terminal building, erected in 1968, contains an arrivals room and a departure lounge, with a check-in desk for the airport's only scheduled airline, Aurigny Air Services.[3] Alderney is not a 24-hour airport; during winter, it is open Monday to Saturday from 0740 until 1830 and on Sunday from 0855 until 1830. During summer, it is open Monday - Thursday from 0640 until 1730 and Friday - Sunday from 0640 until 1830.
The airport also has its own Non-directional beacon, with runways 08 and 26 utilizing this for instrument approaches during Instrument meteorological conditions. A GPS (satellite) approach is also being developed in conjunction with Eurocontrol and NATS. This will mean that aircraft can land in lower visibility.
Alderney has self manoeuvring stands. Formal stands are not required due to the lack of space to accommodate nose-in configured aircraft.
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Aurigny Air Services | Guernsey, Southampton |
The only direct scheduled links from the island are, at July 2011, Southampton and Guernsey. Routes to other destinations such as Brighton, Bournemouth, Cherbourg, Exeter, Plymouth and Jersey were abandoned over the years due to what Blue Islands for example claimed was 'lack of interest'. These routes had been operated on and off by Aurigny and Blue Islands but also Alderney Air Ferries, Air Sarnia and Air Camelot during the 1970s and 1980s.
The number of air routes to the island is at its lowest since the Second World War except for a brief intermission during the 1967-8 period, when another airline (GlosAir, later to be Aurigny Air Services) was found to fill the void (see below right).
| Year | Passenger |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 73,088 |
| 2001 | 70,833 |
| 2002 | 64,686 |
| 2003 | 63,153 |
| 2004 | 73,832 |
| 2005 | 77,699 |
| 2006 | 76,806 |
| 2007 | 79,087 |
| 2008 | 77,104 |
| 2009 | 74,835 |
| 2010 | 70,012 |
A Dutch company (Verweij en Partners) which has purchased Fort Tourgis (a nearby disused fort) with the intention of redeveloping it into a hotel and conference centre is proposing to an expansion or total rebuild of the airport terminal, as well as a possible runway extension. The States of Alderney has put aside £400,000 from the £1m paid for expansion of the airport. This will most likely be used to pay for redevelopment of the terminal, which is over 40 years old and has a leaky flat roof.[6]
A problem currently facing the airport is replacement of the Britten-Norman Trislander. Aurigny has been searching for a successor since the mid-1990s[7] and it is likely that within the next 5 years, the fleet will be retired due to its increasing age (Aurigny aircraft vary from between 35 and nearly 40 years old, except for one aircraft which was assembled from kit form in 1997) and cost. Possible replacements include (in approximate order of size):
The book, written by Edward Pinnegar, documents a previously unpublicised aspect of the island's history, was published by Amberley Publishing in summer 2010.
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