Blue Islands
Encyclopedia
Blue Islands Limited is an airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...

 of the Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...

. Its head office is in Saint Peter Port, 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...

, and its registered office is in Saint Anne, Alderney
Alderney
Alderney is the most northerly of the Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is long and wide. The area is , making it the third-largest island of the Channel Islands, and the second largest in the Bailiwick...

. It operates scheduled services from and within the Channel Islands and the UK and the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...

. Its main base of operations is Jersey Airport
Jersey Airport
-Busiest routes:Some airlines offer services between Jersey and other destinations with an intermediate stop at Guernsey. There are also periodic charter flights to European holiday destinations, Madeira and ski destinations operated by airlines such as Aurigny Air Services, Europe Airpost, Palmair...

.

History

The airline was formally established in 2001 (but had been operating since 1999 as a small operation) by Le Cocq's Stores in Alderney and was initially known as Le Cocq's Airlink. It started operations carrying perishable goods from Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...

 to Alderney
Alderney
Alderney is the most northerly of the Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is long and wide. The area is , making it the third-largest island of the Channel Islands, and the second largest in the Bailiwick...

. Scheduled services were added on the same route on 1 February 2002. The Rockhopper name was adopted on 29 August 2003. In 2004 ownership changed to Healthspan Leisure and in 2005, Jetstream aircraft were added to the fleet. The company moved its main operating base from Alderney to Jersey in January 2006. Its Headquarters is now at Healthspan House, The Grange, St. Peter Port, Guernsey. The airline is wholly owned by the Healthspan Group. The company changed the trading name from Rockhopper to Blue Islands on 14 February 2006. The move coincided with the delivery of the first of its new fleet of 19-seater BAe Jetstream aircraft and a new air link with the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...

.

The deployment of the BAe Jetstream aircraft on inter-island services meant Blue Islands gained a majority share of the market from its competitor (according to Airliner World
Airliner World
Airliner World is an aviation magazine published by Key Publishing LTD from Lincs, United Kingdom and distributed by Seymour Distribution LTD in London. In the United States, the magazine is distributed from Key Publishing LTD's office in Avenel, New Jersey....

 magazine), helped by the recent introduction of an hourly shuttle service between Guernsey and Jersey known as the Blue Shuttle. At December 2007, Blue Islands' estimated share of the inter-island market was reported to be over 50% and in December 2009 their market share had risen to 68%. Blue Islands went on to launch new routes from the Channel Islands to Paris-Beauvais (ceased July 2008), Southampton, Geneva and Zurich. However, by late 2010 their market share on the inter-island had fallen to below 50% and its main competitor Aurigny was regaining large shares in the Channel Islands market.

Blue Islands have been offering cargo services on all their flights throughout their network for a number of years. They flew in unique Madagascan birds for Durrell Conservation Wildlife Trust from Zurich during June 2009. In 2010 the airline added an ATR 42-320
ATR 42
-Civil operators:The largest operators of the ATR-42 are FedEx Express, Airlinair, TRIP Linhas Aéreas,and Mexico City-based Aeromar respectively. Number of aircraft as of 2010:Some 70 other airlines operate smaller numbers of the type....

 and a Dornier 328-110
Dornier 328
|-See also:- References :* Swanborough, Gordon. "Dornier 328: A Daimler for Commuters". Air International, March 1992, Vol. 42 No. 3. pp. 123–128. ISSN 0306-5634....

 (leased from ScotAirways
ScotAirways
Suckling Airways is an airline that focuses on ACMI work and ad hoc corporate charters for business and sporting organisations...

) to its fleet; the latter was retired shortly afterwards. It emerged in July 2010 that Blue Islands had launched a bid with the States of Guernsey
States of Guernsey
The States of Guernsey is the parliament of the island of Guernsey. Some laws and ordinances approved by the States of Guernsey also apply to Alderney and Sark as "Bailiwick-wide legislation" with the consent of the governments of those islands...

 to buy its competitor, 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...

. This caused much controversy in the Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...

, and a Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...

 page in opposition of proposed buy-out gained 530 members. Those in favour of the deal claimed that it was nonsensical for Aurigny and Blue Islands to continue making such huge annual loses. The failure of the deal was announced on 14 September 2010.

A number of changes took place in 2011. Rob Veron was appointed as chairman and the Trislander fleet was repainted and refitted for a planned new hub at Alderney with routes to Southampton and Cherbourg
Cherbourg - Maupertus Airport
Cherbourg – Maupertus Airport or Aéroport de Cherbourg - Maupertus is an airport located 11 km east of Cherbourg-Octeville, between Maupertus-sur-Mer and Gonneville. These are all communes of the Manche département in the Basse-Normandie région of France...

, however the application was denied because the start date was within six months of the application date. Blue Islands announced that a full withdrawal from Alderney would take place on 9 May 2011 (coincidentally Liberation Day
Occupation of the Channel Islands
The Channel Islands were occupied by Nazi Germany for much of World War II, from 30 June 1940 until the liberation on 9 May 1945. The Channel Islands are two British Crown dependencies and include the bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey as well as the smaller islands of Alderney and Sark...

), after 11 years of services.

In March 2011, it announced a new twice daily weekday route (with a once-daily flight on Sundays) from Jersey to London City Airport
London City Airport
London City Airport is a single-runway airport. It principally serves the financial district of London and is located on a former Docklands site, east of the City of London, opposite the London Regatta Centre, in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It was developed by the engineering...

, and in April a route to Bristol
Bristol Airport
Bristol Airport may refer to:* Bristol Airport, serving Bristol, England, United Kingdom ** Bristol Airport , a docu-soap based on events at Bristol Airport...

 was announced. Daily services were announced between Jersey and Manchester Airport in September, along with the restoration of a three times weekly service to Bournemouth Airport
Bournemouth Airport
Bournemouth Airport is an airport located north-northeast of Bournemouth, in southern England...

, in competition with the airline's own more regular services to Southampton, as well as those of Flybe
Flybe
Flybe Group PLC is a British low-cost regional airline headquartered at the Jack Walker House at Exeter International Airport in Devon, England...

. In November, the planned retirement of the Trislander fleet was made public with the last day of operations on 4 December. This was because they were 'too noisy, old and small' - however, it is not the first time that the Trislanders have been under offer; one aircraft left Blue Islands for Great Barrier Airlines
Great Barrier Airlines
Great Barrier Airlines is a New Zealand airline that was established in 1983. They flew their first scheduled service to Great Barrier Island in December 1983, departing from Ardmore Airport, an airport three nautical miles southeast of Manurewa in Auckland, New Zealand.The head office is located...

 in New Zealand in March 2008, whilst the other two aircraft were under offer from an unnamed Caribbean airline in September 2010.

Destinations

Blue Islands operates the following services (as of November 2011):
Base
Focus City

City Country Region IATA ICAO Airport Ref Notes
Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...

 United Kingdom Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...

BOH EGHH Bournemouth Airport
Bournemouth Airport
Bournemouth Airport is an airport located north-northeast of Bournemouth, in southern England...

 
Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

 United Kingdom Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...

BRS EGGD Bristol Airport
Bristol Airport
Bristol Airport may refer to:* Bristol Airport, serving Bristol, England, United Kingdom ** Bristol Airport , a docu-soap based on events at Bristol Airport...

 
Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...

 Switzerland Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...

GVA LSGG Geneva International Airport 
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...

 Guernsey Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...

GCI EGJB Guernsey Airport
Guernsey Airport
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, west southwest of St. Peter Port.-History:...

 
Base
Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...

 Isle of Man Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...

IOM EGNS Isle of Man Airport
Isle of Man Airport
Isle of Man Airport , also known as Ronaldsway Airport and, in Manx, Purt Aer Vannin, is the main civilian airport on the Isle of Man. It is located in the south of the island at Ronaldsway near Castletown, southwest of Douglas, the island's capital. Along with the Isle of Man Sea Terminal, it is...

 
Focus City
Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...

 Jersey Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...

JER EGJJ Jersey Airport
Jersey Airport
-Busiest routes:Some airlines offer services between Jersey and other destinations with an intermediate stop at Guernsey. There are also periodic charter flights to European holiday destinations, Madeira and ski destinations operated by airlines such as Aurigny Air Services, Europe Airpost, Palmair...

 
Base
London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 United Kingdom Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...

LCY EGLC London City Airport
London City Airport
London City Airport is a single-runway airport. It principally serves the financial district of London and is located on a former Docklands site, east of the City of London, opposite the London Regatta Centre, in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It was developed by the engineering...

 
Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

 United Kingdom Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...

MAN EGCC Manchester Airport 
Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...

 United Kingdom Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...

SOU EGHI Southampton Airport
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....

 
Focus City
Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...

 Switzerland Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...

ZRH LSZH Zürich Airport 

Former Destinations

It also used to serve these destinations:
  • United Kingdom
    United Kingdom
    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

    • England
      England
      England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

  • Biggin Hill Airport
  • Cardiff Airport
  • Shoreham Airport
    Shoreham Airport
    - Sussex Police Air Operations Unit :The Sussex Police Air Operations Unit is headquartered at Shoreham Airport. The unit has been equipped since February 2000 with a MD Explorer, registered as "G-SUSX". The unit is headed by a Police Inspector, assisted by a Police Sergeant and two Police...

     (Brighton City)

  • Bailiwick of Guernsey
    • Alderney
      Alderney
      Alderney is the most northerly of the Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is long and wide. The area is , making it the third-largest island of the Channel Islands, and the second largest in the Bailiwick...

  • Alderney Airport
    Alderney Airport
    Alderney Airport 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 , it is the closest Channel Island airport to the south coast of England and the coast of France. Its facilities include a hangar, the...


  • France
    France
    The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

  • Cherbourg Airport
  • Paris Beauvais Tillé Airport
  • Saint-Brieuc – Armor Airport

Fleet

The Blue Islands fleet includes the following aircraft (as of November 2011).

Blue Islands Fleet
Aircraft In Fleet Order Passengers
Britten-Norman Trislander
Britten-Norman Trislander
*LIAT*Montserrat Air Services*Air Queensland*Eagle Airways*Aero Services*Cayman Airways*TAVINA*Vision Air*Bali Int. Air Service*Trans Jamaican Airlines*Aero Cozumel*Great Barrier Airlines*Aero Taxi Intl*Aviones de Panama...

2 0 16
BAe Jetstream 32 4 0 19
ATR 42-320
ATR 42
-Civil operators:The largest operators of the ATR-42 are FedEx Express, Airlinair, TRIP Linhas Aéreas,and Mexico City-based Aeromar respectively. Number of aircraft as of 2010:Some 70 other airlines operate smaller numbers of the type....

1 0 46
ATR 42-500
ATR 42
-Civil operators:The largest operators of the ATR-42 are FedEx Express, Airlinair, TRIP Linhas Aéreas,and Mexico City-based Aeromar respectively. Number of aircraft as of 2010:Some 70 other airlines operate smaller numbers of the type....

1 0 50
Total 9 0



NB.: Trislander operations cease on 4 December 2011:

Accidents and Incidents

  • On 7 June 2006, Trislander G-LCOC was taking off from Saint Brieuc, but shortly after takeoff there was a loud bang. On inspection after landing the pilot found that the baggage door had been forced inwards into its aperture. The locking mechanism functioned normally and it is likely that the door was not secured properly by ground handling staff prior to departure. Blue Islands changed ground handling procedures to avoid a repeat occurrence.

  • On 18 July 2010, ATR 42 G-DRFC was cleared to line up on runway 28 and wait at Zurich Airport. Meanwhile, a Thai Airways
    Thai Airways
    Thai Airways Company or Thai Airways was the domestic flag carrier of Thailand. Its main base was the Domestic Terminal at Don Mueang International Airport: DMK . Its head office was located in Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Bangkok...

     Airbus A340-600 on flight TG971 from Zurich to Bangkok
    Bangkok
    Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...

    , was cleared for takeoff from runway 16, read the takeoff clearance correctly back and began their takeoff run. However, the Blue Islands crew mistook the permission for their own and commenced take-off roll. They claimed to have read back the clearance but it was not picked up by air traffic control or recording stations. A British Airways
    British Airways
    British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...

     Airbus A319-100 on flight BA713 from Zurich to London Heathrow (which was about to depart), observed the scene from the holding point north of runway 28. The crew saw the potential for a crash and alerted air traffic control. The Blue Islands aircraft was immediately radioed to stop, and having reached 74 knots (86 mph) it slowed and exited the runway 630m short of where the Thai aircraft was taking off. The incident was classified as serious by Swiss authorities. Nobody was harmed.

  • On 3 April 2011, ATR 42 G-DRFC was flying from Geneva to Jersey with 46 passengers on board when communication was lost. The airline claimed that this was a brief period (generally around 20 seconds) when the captain was changing radio frequency. However, two French Air Force
    French Air Force
    The French Air Force , literally Army of the Air) is the air force of the French Armed Forces. It was formed in 1909 as the Service Aéronautique, a service arm of the French Army, then was made an independent military arm in 1933...

     Mirage 2000 fighter jets were scrambled and escorted the aircraft until radio contact was re-established.

  • On 6 April 2011, Jetstream 31 G-ISLB was 10 minutes into a flight from Southampton to Guernsey when the aircraft developed a problem with its starboard engine (a TPE331). It was shut down and the aircraft returned to Southampton for a safe landing. Nobody was injured and passengers were booked onto a later flight.

  • On 25 November 2011, Trislander G-LCOC (carrying 13 passengers) had landed at Guernsey Airport
    Guernsey Airport
    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, west southwest of St. Peter Port.-History:...

     after flight from Jersey and turned off the runway. However, the nosewheel steering failed and the aircraft ran onto the grass next to the taxiway
    Taxiway
    A taxiway is a path on an airport connecting runways with ramps, hangars, terminals and other facilities. They mostly have hard surface such as asphalt or concrete, although smaller airports sometimes use gravel or grass....

    . All passengers were unharmed and taken to the terminal, and the plane was later recovered and returned to service with no damage as a result of the incident.

External links

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