Channel island airline Aurigny is to close its route from Guernsey to London City airport later this year.
The Guernsey-based carrier said it would end its London City operations on October 27 because of “a lack of demand” with load factors of less than 50 per cent on the route.
Aurigny will instead concentrate on its existing routes from Guernsey to Gatwick and Stansted – it intends to beef up its presence at Gatwick by launching its own ground operation at the airport from December.
Mark Darby, Aurigny’s CEO, said: “This is really an exciting opportunity for us to improve the service we provide customers at Gatwick airport. It is one of the UK’s busiest airports and one of the island’s main gateways into the UK.
“We believe this is the right thing to do for our customers and for Guernsey. It will help us to cut disruption, improve our customer service and enhance the overall experience we offer on the busiest route to the island.”
Darby added that continuing with its flights to London City did not “make commercial sense” despite “considerable effort and investment” over the last two years.
“There are a number of key factors at play, not least the high costs of operating to London City and the lack of demand for the route,” said Darby.
“Despite our very best efforts and regular promotions, there sadly is not sufficient demand to make this service work.”