Aircraft registry to be run by third party

Aircraft registry to be run by third party

Senator Steve Pallett made the announcement in the States yesterday following a question from Deputy Graham Truscott and explained that contracts were likely to be signed within weeks with a third-party company that would take over its day-to-day running.

The decision follows a tumultuous history for the registry, which was first established in 2014 after a bid to launch a joint scheme with Guernsey failed.

Guernsey subsequently set up their own registry and, in March, listed its 500th aircraft.

In 2018, with just one aircraft registered, the government agreed to hand over control of the registry to Ports of Jersey.

Yesterday, Senator Pallett described the registry as being ‘flawed from day one’ and said that a Jersey-based business had been chosen to redesign its business model.

‘I am extremely pleased to advise members that Ports [of Jersey] are finalising the terms of a contract with a commercial third party that will operate the registry following a public procurement exercise,’ he said.

‘The commercial operator will work with Ports and government to relaunch the Jersey Aircraft Registry with a new business model. Further legislative development will be necessary, but this will be undertaken in house at no extra cost.

‘A successful aircraft registry is an important part of Jersey’s offer as an offshore financial centre and I am pleased about its future despite its troubled start.’

Grouville Constable John Le Maistre then asked how long it would be before the registry reopened for business.

In response, Senator Pallett thanked the owner of the scheme’s sole aircraft for his loyalty and said: ‘I am hopeful that contract negotiations are nearing completion, so I would say weeks rather than months. I would say weeks.

‘In terms of relaunching the registry there are some technical issues that we need to resolve with the director of civil aviation. Once we are through that, then I think we can begin registering planes back onto the current registry.

‘In terms of the new business model, that is something that they will have to develop – it is not something that I have got any information on at the current time. If it works in the way that they say it is going to work, it has got a hugely exciting future in Jersey.’

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