The Channel Island of Alderney has a new low-cost alternative airline, by the name of LeCocqs.com AirLink. “The dream truly is alive," said business development director, Dickie Bird. “After 18 months of blood, sweat and tears getting this project off the ground, we are already having the effect of stimulating the local market.”

Operating a Britten Norman Trislander G-LCOC and also an Islander G-XAXA, as of early April, AirLink had already carried its 1,000th passenger.

“It’s amazing to think that AirLink was only born because the hitherto monopoly operator of some 33 years kept bumping-off scheduled freight for our supermarket” added Bird. “We were told to either take it or leave it by their finance director, so we exercised the latter option!”

Initially chartering a Bournemouth-based Baron B55 and a Seneca III, AirLink then bought its own Islander for transporting fruit, vegetables, milk and bread from the mainland to its Alderney-based supermarket, LeCocq’s Stores.

“Sales of fresh produce were (and still are) so good in the store that we rapidly outgrew the Islander,

so we started looking around for a Trislander. Luckily, George Cormack of Cormack Air Services, Cumbernauld came up with an example with low major component times. All we had to do was to have it painted,” Bird added.\r

By late December 2001, both aircraft were on the AirLink AOC and are now busy flying daily between Bournemouth and Alderney. “But that’s not all” Bird said. “The amount of private charter (people, dogs, even parrots) that we have already flown since February – both from the mainland to all three Channel Islands plus inter-Island charter – has truly amazed us. Another Trislander is definitely on the cards, if not an additional Islander as well.”

Keeping the AirLink fleet fully serviceable is entrusted to Meridian Aviation, Bournemouth. “I’ve

known their chief engineer Dave Munday for many years now and he’s about the best in the business – but boy, do we test his patience at times,” remarked Bird.

With advance bookings steadily rolling in for scheduled flights, AirLink is already having to move its reservations department to larger offices. Additional crews have been recruited, trained and are now on-line for the launch of the summer schedule commencing June 28.

“A friendly service with competitive pricing and on-time departures. That’s what our customers demand and that’s what we’ll keep delivering,” said Bird. “It’s all about customer service.”