Guernsey Airport
Encyclopedia
Guernsey Airport is the largest airport in the Bailiwick of Guernsey and is the only airport
on the island of Guernsey
. It is located in the Forest
, a parish in Guernsey, 2.5 NM west southwest of St. Peter Port.
were operating a daily service to Southampton
using Douglas DC-3
aircraft. From 1951, Jersey Airlines
flew BEA associate scheduled services to Southampton at weekends using Rapide
eight-seat biplane airliners.
In 1960 there were four grass runways, with lengths ranging from 2040 ft (622 m) to 3060 ft (933 m). 1960 also saw the construction of a new tarmacked runway of a length of 4800 ft (1,463 m). In early 2000s alongside the work on the new terminal, Commerce and Employment claimed an extension was necessary to allow use of larger aircraft such as the Boeing 737, or other larger jets for trans-European flights.
Aurigny Air Services
has its head office on the airport property. At one time the Channel Islands subsidiary of British United Airways
had its head office on the airport property.
are unable to operate their Embraer 195 aircraft into Guernsey due to the low strength of the runway, and elected to operate the smaller de Havilland Dash 8s. In 2008 business leaders and deputies were arguing the case for an extension from its current length of 1463 m (4,800 ft) to 1700 m (5,577 ft). Following several years of debate it was announced on the 2 October 2009 that Guernsey's airport runway and apron will be extended and repaired at an estimated cost of £81m.
The proposal is to add runway safety areas, RESAs, extend the take-off section by 120 m (393.7 ft), and displace the landing section to the west, the first of a two phase runway extension. The extension has mixed support, with some islanders and politicians campaigning against it, while others support it. The issue is still to be settled by the island's government, and the Engineered materials arrestor system
(EMAS) is being considered to save space.
operates two services each morning from Bournemouth carrying newspapers for the island, as well as the majority of the post. Aurigny Air Services
carries some other post and also parcels on behalf of carriers including Fedex
and UPS
.
On 7 December 1997 an F-27
(registration: G-BNCY) operated by AirUK
arriving from Southampton overshot the runway while landing in high cross winds. The Fokker Aircraft aquaplaned on standing water, left the runway end and slid on the wet grass. The aircraft nosed into the cross wind, ending up some 100 m (328.1 ft) off the centre line in a field to the south of the runway. There were no fatalities among the 50 passengers and 4 crew members, although the aircraft was damaged beyond repair and subsequently written off.http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19971207-0.
On 12 January 1999 a F-27
(registration: G-CHNL) operating a cargo flight for Channel Express
arriving from Luton crashed short of runway 27 after deploying full flap on approach. As the flap deployed, the cargo moved aft and exited the aeroplane's mass and balance limits, the flight crew initiated a go-around which further exacerbated problem by raising the gear and applying power. The aeroplane pitched up uncontrollably and stalled which resulted in the aircraft impacting the conservatory of a house located under the flight path. Fortunately no one on the ground was injured, however both flight crew were killed by the resulting fire which engulfed the aircraft. The investigation concluded the aeroplane was not loaded in accordance with the loadsheet. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19990112-0.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
on the island of Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
. It is located in the Forest
Forest, Guernsey
The Forest is a parish in Guernsey. It is the highest parish on the island, with altitudes of up to about 100 m. The full title being Ste Margurite de la Foret after the parish church....
, a parish in Guernsey, 2.5 NM west southwest of St. Peter Port.
History
The airport was officially opened on 5 May 1939. However, regular air services only commenced in October 1946. By 1948, BEABritish European Airways
British European Airways or British European Airways Corporation was a British airline which existed from 1946 until 1974. The airline operated European and North African routes from airports around the United Kingdom...
were operating a daily service to Southampton
Southampton Airport
Southampton Airport is the 20th largest airport in the UK, located north north-east of Southampton, in the Borough of Eastleigh within Hampshire, England....
using Douglas DC-3
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
aircraft. From 1951, Jersey Airlines
Jersey Airlines
Jersey Airlines was an early post-World War II private, independentindependent from government-owned corporations British airline formed in 1948. In 1952, the airline operated its first scheduled service. Four years later, British European Airways took a 25% minority stake in Jersey Airlines and...
flew BEA associate scheduled services to Southampton at weekends using Rapide
De Havilland Dragon Rapide
The de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide was a British short-haul passenger airliner of the 1930s.-Design and development:Designed by the de Havilland company in late 1933 as a faster and more comfortable successor to the DH.84 Dragon, it was in effect a twin-engined, scaled-down version of the...
eight-seat biplane airliners.
In 1960 there were four grass runways, with lengths ranging from 2040 ft (622 m) to 3060 ft (933 m). 1960 also saw the construction of a new tarmacked runway of a length of 4800 ft (1,463 m). In early 2000s alongside the work on the new terminal, Commerce and Employment claimed an extension was necessary to allow use of larger aircraft such as the Boeing 737, or other larger jets for trans-European flights.
Aurigny Air Services
Aurigny Air Services
Aurigny Air Services was founded by Sir Derrick Bailey and started operations on 1 March 1968 after British United Airways withdrew the Alderney to Guernsey route...
has its head office on the airport property. At one time the Channel Islands subsidiary of British United Airways
British United Airways
British United Airways was a private, independentindependent from government-owned corporations British airline formed as a result of the merger of Airwork Services and Hunting-Clan Air Transport in July 1960, making it the largest wholly private airline based in the United Kingdom at the time...
had its head office on the airport property.
Terminal Facilities
Work started on a new terminal building in 2002, which became operational on 19 April 2004. The old terminal was demolished in May 2004 to make space for additional aircraft stands and a passenger walkway from the new terminal. The new terminal was designed to be able to handle about 1.25 million passengers per year. In 2010, 923,683 passengers used the airport, with 55,557 aircraft movements.Runway
FlybeFlybe
Flybe Group PLC is a British low-cost regional airline headquartered at the Jack Walker House at Exeter International Airport in Devon, England...
are unable to operate their Embraer 195 aircraft into Guernsey due to the low strength of the runway, and elected to operate the smaller de Havilland Dash 8s. In 2008 business leaders and deputies were arguing the case for an extension from its current length of 1463 m (4,800 ft) to 1700 m (5,577 ft). Following several years of debate it was announced on the 2 October 2009 that Guernsey's airport runway and apron will be extended and repaired at an estimated cost of £81m.
The proposal is to add runway safety areas, RESAs, extend the take-off section by 120 m (393.7 ft), and displace the landing section to the west, the first of a two phase runway extension. The extension has mixed support, with some islanders and politicians campaigning against it, while others support it. The issue is still to be settled by the island's government, and the Engineered materials arrestor system
Engineered Materials Arrestor System
An engineered materials arrestor system or engineered materials arresting system is a bed of engineered materials built at the end of a runway. Engineered materials are defined in FAA Advisory Circular No 150/5220-22A as "high energy absorbing materials of selected strength, which will reliably...
(EMAS) is being considered to save space.
Passenger
Cargo
Atlantic AirlinesAtlantic Airlines
Atlantic Airlines Limited is a British cargo airline based in Coventry, United Kingdom. It operates contract and ad-hoc cargo flights worldwide, especially within Europe and across the Atlantic. Most of their flights depart from East Midlands and Bournemouth...
operates two services each morning from Bournemouth carrying newspapers for the island, as well as the majority of the post. Aurigny Air Services
Aurigny Air Services
Aurigny Air Services was founded by Sir Derrick Bailey and started operations on 1 March 1968 after British United Airways withdrew the Alderney to Guernsey route...
carries some other post and also parcels on behalf of carriers including Fedex
FedEx
FedEx Corporation , originally known as FDX Corporation, is a logistics services company, based in the United States with headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee...
and UPS
UPS
- Science, technology and medicine :* Uninterruptible power supply* Ubiquitin proteasome system* Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy* Universal Polar Stereographic coordinate system* Ups * Medically "unexplained physical symptoms"...
.
General aviation
A large number of single and twin-engined light and business aircraft are based at the airport. These, and numerous visiting general aviation aircraft, are serviced by based aviation engineering firms located in several hangars located at the southwest and southeast portions of the airport.Handling agents
- Aiglle for general aviation
- Aurigny Air Services for themselvesAurigny Air ServicesAurigny Air Services was founded by Sir Derrick Bailey and started operations on 1 March 1968 after British United Airways withdrew the Alderney to Guernsey route...
and Air BerlinAir BerlinAir Berlin PLC & Co. Luftverkehrs KG is Germany's second largest airline, after Lufthansa, and Europe's sixth largest airline in terms of passengers.... - Airbase Flight Support for FlybeFlybeFlybe Group PLC is a British low-cost regional airline headquartered at the Jack Walker House at Exeter International Airport in Devon, England...
, Blue IslandsBlue IslandsBlue Islands Limited is an airline of the Channel Islands. Its head office is in Saint Peter Port, Guernsey, and its registered office is in Saint Anne, Alderney. It operates scheduled services from and within the Channel Islands and the UK and the Isle of Man...
and VLMVLM AirlinesVLM Airlines is a Belgian airline whose head office is in Airport Building B50 at Antwerp International Airport in Deurne, Antwerp...
/CityjetCityjetCityJet Limited is an Irish regional airline headquartered in the Swords Business Campus in Swords, County Dublin, Ireland. It operates at London City Airport, and flies franchise services on behalf of its parent company Air France from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. Since the take over of VLM... - ASG (Aircraft Servicing Guernsey) for general aviation
Accidents and incidents
Main article: List of aviation accidents and incidents in the Channel IslandsOn 7 December 1997 an F-27
Fokker F27
The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:Design of the Fokker F27 started in the 1950s as a replacement to the successful Douglas DC-3 airliner...
(registration: G-BNCY) operated by AirUK
AirUK
Air UK was a wholly privately owned, independentindependent from government-owned corporations regional British airline formed in 1980 as a result of a merger involving four rival UK-based regional airlines. British and Commonwealth -owned British Island Airways and Air Anglia were the two...
arriving from Southampton overshot the runway while landing in high cross winds. The Fokker Aircraft aquaplaned on standing water, left the runway end and slid on the wet grass. The aircraft nosed into the cross wind, ending up some 100 m (328.1 ft) off the centre line in a field to the south of the runway. There were no fatalities among the 50 passengers and 4 crew members, although the aircraft was damaged beyond repair and subsequently written off.http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19971207-0.
On 12 January 1999 a F-27
Fokker F27
The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:Design of the Fokker F27 started in the 1950s as a replacement to the successful Douglas DC-3 airliner...
(registration: G-CHNL) operating a cargo flight for Channel Express
Channel Express
Channel Express was an airline based in Bournemouth, United Kingdom. It operated scheduled services from Bournemouth to the Channel Islands and nightly cargo services to Europe and throughout the UK on behalf of Royal Mail and other overnight express carriers...
arriving from Luton crashed short of runway 27 after deploying full flap on approach. As the flap deployed, the cargo moved aft and exited the aeroplane's mass and balance limits, the flight crew initiated a go-around which further exacerbated problem by raising the gear and applying power. The aeroplane pitched up uncontrollably and stalled which resulted in the aircraft impacting the conservatory of a house located under the flight path. Fortunately no one on the ground was injured, however both flight crew were killed by the resulting fire which engulfed the aircraft. The investigation concluded the aeroplane was not loaded in accordance with the loadsheet. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19990112-0.