Summary
- Aurigny Air Services sold its only jet aircraft, the Embraer E195, to lessor Azorra to focus on turboprops for improved operations.
- CEO Nico Bezuidenhout explained that the E195 was not a good fit due to short sectors causing expensive maintenance issues.
- Azorra plans to put the E195 back in service due to high demand, supporting its existing Embraer customer base.
Embattled Channel Island’s carrier Aurigny Air Services (Aurigny) has sold its only jet aircraft to leading lessor Azorra, leaving it with a fleet of ATR and Dornier turboprops. It was well known that Aurigny and its CEO had fallen out of love with the Embraer E195 after the boss said it was one of the causes of significant schedule disruptions earlier this year.
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Not the right fit
In March, Aurigny Air Services CEO Nico Bezuidenhout remarked that the E195 had been used in a manner it should not have been, seemingly referring to the high number of rotations and short sectors the aircraft operated. He explained that “things like thrust reversers, for example, which in the case of the Embraer costs about $4 million (£3.1m), fail when you use them on such short sectors and high rotations and in such a corrosive environment.” Yesterday, he said:
“The Embraer E195 is a very good aircraft that has served Islanders and visitors well over the last decade. Fleet simplification is a key ingredient to improving the sustainability and resilience of Guernsey’s air connectivity and, as such, the decision to exit the Embraer from Aurigny’s fleet.”
Aurigny announced in November 2023 that E195 would be sold and taken out of service at the end of April this year, although the jet would be a backup plane until it left in May. Tracking data from Flightradar24 shows it operated a return service from Guernsey Airport (GCI) to London Gatwick Airport (LGW) on May 31 before a later flight to Exeter Airport for storage.
Photo: Azorra
On July 9, it operated a flight that departed Exeter and arrived in Guernsey at 13:06. As the tracking data shows, this appears to have been a test or proving flight, similar to what is done when an aircraft is handed over to its new owner.
The 2014 Embraer regional jet, registration G-NSEY and MSN 19000671, was due to return to Exeter on July 10, but its final departure was delayed until the next day when it left Guernsey at 15:20 and arrived at 15:49. The tracking data shows no movement since then, at least not under that registration.
This E195 will soon be flying again
US-based aircraft lessor Azorra announced yesterday it had purchased the Embraer E195 from Aurigny. Azorra currently owns and manages a fleet of more than 100 aircraft on lease to more than 38 operators in 32 countries. It also has total commitments of more than 160 aircraft, including orders for new Airbus A220-100/300 aircraft and Embraer E190/195-E2 jets.
Photo: Bradley Caslin/Shutterstock
Azorra specializes in regional jets and lists some major airlines from that sector among its customer base. These include Porter Airlines, Breeze, Envoy, Aeromexico, Azul, BA Cityflyer, Royal Jordanian, airBaltic, Turkish Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Kenya Airways and Lion Air. Yesterday, Azorra Chief Marketing Officer Michael Davis said:
“The E195 continues to be in high demand and this opportunity to assist Aurigny is complementary to supporting the capacity needs of our existing Embraer customer base.”
Fleet data from ch-aviation shows that Aurigny has a fleet of three ATR 72-600 and two Dornier Do228 turboprops. The data also indicates that Aurigny has been using two aircraft on wet leases since May this year, including a 2007 ATR 72-500 from Luthuania’s Jump Air and a 1987 Saab 340A from RAF-Avia in Latvia.
Aurigny said it was simplifying the fleet as the turboprops are better suited and more fuel efficient at low speeds and altitudes, meaning they are optimal for the airline’s routes. The E195 could carry 122 passengers, while the ATRs have just 72 seats, the Dorniers 19 and the Saab 34 seats.