Flights resume at island airport

Flights were grounded because of a pay dispute involving airport fire crews

Some airlines are being allowed to fly in and out of Guernsey after a dispute over airport firefighters' pay led to the grounding of commercial flights.

A lack of fire crews to cover overtime or sickness meant all Flybe flights were cancelled from Monday afternoon, stranding hundreds of passengers.

This was followed by all flights except medical emergencies being grounded on Tuesday until the afternoon.

Blue Islands and Aurigny airlines are now both operating a number of flights.

A spokesman for the airport said flights were expected to return to normal on Tuesday

Tourism fears

The pay dispute had been referred to an industrial tribunal.

However, although firefighters are refusing to discuss whether a deal has been reached, they say sufficient cover is currently being provided by them to allow commercial flights to resume.

But despite this, Aurigny's managing director, Malcolm Hart, fears that "untold damage" may have been caused to the island's image as a tourist destination as a result of holidaymakers being stranded on it.

"We've got an opportunity this summer with a decent long range weather forecast and the euro strength against sterling to really push the island as a destination to be visited by British holidaymakers," he said.

"But anybody who has dipped their toe into the water by coming to the island this weekend and then been stranded here will just never come again and they will tell other people - it will damage the island's image."