CONTACT - Guernsey Chamber of Commerce

pUBlici | Airport Director Colin Le Ray
‘If we want to continue to enjoy the benefits of direct air
links to and from our nearest neighbours, we are
required to undertake the same level of security control.’
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importance of the airport and
ensure that the key infrastructure
asset - mainly the runway -
remains under the ownership or
direct control of the States.
The US has recently introduced
even tighter security measures at all
major airports and recent passenger
surveys at Gatwick suggest
travellers are far from happy with
the time it takes to clear security.
Full body scanners aside, how do
we improve the process without
compromising security and do you
think Guernsey gets it about right?
this is one of the biggest challenges
we face locally. aviation security
is common across the UK and now
europe. as a result if we want to
continue to enjoy the benefits of
direct air links to and from our
nearest neighbours, we are required
to undertake the same level of
security control. Generally i think
Guernsey gets it about right in
terms of the balance of risk, but we
are in no doubt of our obligations
to follow appropriate standards
and not to provide a ‘weak-link’ in
the wider aviation community.
During the debate over Aurigny
take overs, The Guernsey Press
featured an extensive article on how
other similar jurisdictions/islands
manage air travel and ownership.
Do you have experience of other
smaller airport authorities and
what can we learn from them?
Guernsey airport is a member
of various industry trade groups
including the airport operators
association. this brings us into
regular contact with other operators,
with discussions and debates about
many aspects of the airport function,
including safety, security, finances
(including UK Government aviation
taxes), fuel, airside operations, fire
48 | CONTACT | OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2010 | www.guernseychamber.com
service provision etc. Generally
our experience within these groups
demonstrates that the Bailiwick’s
airports are well run and efficient.
If GST is introduced in Guernsey what
affect will this have on Duty Free? Will
the airport expand its retail offering
as a result? Will we see an Aladdin’s
Cave or Creasey’s concession
appearing if Duty Free isn’t affected?
i don’t know whether GSt would
be exempted at the ports – however
more generally our Duty Free
concession is a valuable source of
revenue for the airport and helps to
defray operational costs. extension
of the duty free concession since the
move into the new airport terminal
in 2004 has been one of the main
reasons we have been able to freeze
charges to the airlines. clearly any
move that improves income either,
in terms of external influences
(such as GSt) or diversification of
the products within the existing
concessions, is something Guernsey
airport and its concessionaires
are keen to take advantage of.
The ‘new’ Terminal Building is now
six years old. Is it serving the island
well, and runway aside what could be
done to improve even further still it?
the terminal building has been a
real improvement on the facility
we had in the past, most notably
for passengers, and the layout and
operation is generally well received.
it won the Guernsey Design awards
in 2005 and was nominated for a
national design award that same year.
However we have continued to make
improvements. last year we moved
the cafe airside, and extended the
security area to improve passenger
flows and both those changes have
worked very well. airside, a move
to nose in push back parking for
aircraft next year will bring planes
closer to the terminal, which will
be another benefit for passengers.
You probably see more people
travelling through Guernsey than
many an islander. Who has been the
most famous and who has been the
most interesting you’ve come across?
it is interesting to see how many
famous people actually visit the
island – whether officially or
unofficially. My personal highlight
was the Queen’s visit to celebrate the
50th anniversary of the liberation
in 2005. the visit took many months
of planning and although the day
itself was fairly stressful, the sheer
number of islanders who shared
in that day made it very exciting
for the airport and all who were
here when Her Majesty arrived.
Can you explain to our readers why
Guernsey Airport has launched a
new initiative to review its airfield
management procedures?
changes in the management of
european airspace are due to be
implemented in the near future.
these will make the processing of
aircraft through european airspace
much more efficient, but to be able
to participate in that new system and
take advantage of the benefits we
need to demonstrate all our processes
are fit for purpose. if we chose not
to participate then there is a real risk
that air traffic moving to and from
the islands to the UK would then be
processed in a less efficient manner
than today, and that would have a
direct adverse impact on the current
journey times. in any case, being able
to audit and demonstrate appropriate
standards is not an altogether bad
management exercise as it gives
confidence that the operation is
being effectively and efficiently run.