Guernsey carrier to become 10th airline operator at Liverpool John Lennon Airport

Liverpool John Lennon Airport has added its 10 airline operator after Guernsey carrier, Aurigny, confirmed it will start a new service to the island next summer.

Flights have already gone on sale, with departures to the channel island of Guernsey on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays commencing on April 2, 2024, with Aurigny operating its 72 seat ATR-72 aircraft on the route.

Aurigny will become the airport’s 10th carrier next summer, joining a number of airlines who have started flights from Liverpool for the first time, over the past 18 months.

Paul Winfield, aviation director at LJLA, said he is sure the new domestic route will be a success.

“It’s great to see another carrier invest in the Liverpool market, following several other carriers commencing services from here recently and we look forward to more passengers from across the region taking advantage of the growing choice of flights from the UK’s best airport, as voted for by travellers in the recent Which? survey.”

Nico Bezuidenhout, CEO of Aurigny, said: “I am thrilled we are poised to become the 10th airline to launch operations from Liverpool Airport.

“Our upcoming service to and from Guernsey, scheduled from April onward, symbolises our dedication to expanding our network and offering travellers exceptional options.

“We’re excited to join the Liverpool Airport family, as we take flight together to unlock new horizons for our passengers, making travel more accessible and memorable than ever before.”

LJLA recorded its first pre-tax profit, latest figures filed last week, have shown.

In a Companies House filing it revealed the airport – owned by Manchester property group Peel (47.1%), London asset manager Snowball Holdings Bidco (47.1%) and Liverpool City Council (5.8%) – made a £4.54m pre-tax profit for the year to March 31, 2023, compared with a £4.8m pre-tax loss the previous year.

The airport has previously made operating profits, but not a pre-tax surplus.

Revenues more than doubled in the reporting period, to £35.66m.

Passenger numbers also more than doubled, from 1.6 million in 2022 to 3.7 million as the travel industry recovered from long lockdown periods caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

LJLA anticipates it will break the five million-passenger milestone for the first time in the next year or two.