BLUE Islands has expanded its annual capacity by 60,000 seats following the acquisition of another plane.
The airline’s latest ATR 72 is optimised for short, regional flights at a relatively low altitude.
The 72-seater plane – which has been fitted out in the company’s new livery and is already flying passengers – replaced a smaller 46-seat model and means that all five aircraft in the Blue Islands fleet are now the same type.
Rob Veron, the company’s chief executive, said: ‘Our fifth ATR 72 aircraft demonstrates Blue Islands’ commitment to providing year-round, sustainable connectivity and socio-economic benefits for the Island. It also underpins our positive but measured approach to growth as we emerge from the difficult market conditions caused by the pandemic over the past two years.’
The airline currently operates 900 flights per month, with scheduled routes from Jersey to Norwich, Dublin and Rennes introduced this summer.
Mr Veron added: ‘As we grow our network, we are also very aware of the need to balance our wider environmental impact. Our ATR aircraft fleet is powered by efficient turboprop engines producing the lowest emissions per seat in its class. In addition, our partnership with Durrell’s Rewild Carbon programme, a world-leading initiative run from Jersey, enables us – by offsetting – to make all of our flights carbon neutral and genuinely sustainable.’
