Blue Islands

Infobox Airline
airline=Blue Islands
logo=BlueIslandsLogo.gif
logo_size=235px
fleet_size=8
destinations=10
IATA=SI
ICAO=BCI
callsign=BLUE ISLAND
parent=AirX Ltd
founded=1999
headquarters=
Alderney - Registered Office
Guernsey - Headquarters
Jersey - Operations Base
operations base=Jersey, Channel Islands
hubs=
Jersey Airport
Alderney Airport
Guernsey Airport
focus_cities=
Southampton Airport
Isle of Man Airport
Bournemouth Airport
key_people=Derek Coates (Chairman)Paul Sabin (Managing Director)
website= http://www.blueislands.com

Blue Islands is an airline based in Jersey in the Channel Islands. Blue Islands is a trading name for AirX Limited. It operates scheduled services from and within the Channel Islands and to France and the UK mainland. Its main base of operations is Jersey Airport (JER). There is also a small hub and aircraft base at Alderney Airport (ACI).

History

The airline was established in 2001 by Le Cocq's Stores in Alderney and was initially known as Le Cocq's Airlink. It started operations carrying perishable goods from Bournemouth to Alderney. Scheduled services were added on the same route on 1 February 2002. The Rockhopper name was adopted on 29 August 2003cite news | title= Directory: World Airlines | work= Flight International | page= 87 | date= 2007-03-27] . The company moved its main operating base from Alderney to Jersey in January 2006. Its Headquarters is now at Healthspan House, The Grange, St. Peter Port, Guernsey. The airline is wholly owned by the Healthspan Group.

The company changed the trading name from Rockhopper to Blue Islands on 14 February 2006. The move coincided with the delivery of the first of its new fleet of 19-seater BAe Jetstream aircraft and a new air link with the Isle of Man.

Since the launch of the BAe Jetstream aircraft on Inter-Island services Blue Islands has gained a majority share of the market from its competitor, helped by the recent introduction of an hourly shuttle service between Guernsey and Jersey known as the "Blue Shuttle". At December 2007 Blue Islands estimated share of the Inter-Island market was reported to be over 50%. Blue Islands have also gone on to launch new routes from the Channel Islands to Paris-Beauvais (ceased July 2008), Southampton, Geneva and Zurich with plans to start services to Brussels, Luxembourg and other European financial centres. Although the airline has stopped operating the Alderney - Shoreham route from the 12th February 2008.

Destinations

Blue Islands operates the following services (at July 2008)

* Crown dependencies:
** Alderney Airport
** Guernsey Airport
** Jersey Airport
** Isle of Man Airport
* United Kingdom:
** Bournemouth Airport
** Southampton Airport
* International:
** Geneva Airport
** Zurich Airport

Fleet

The Blue Islands fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of 30 July 2008) [http://www.ch-aviation.ch/aircraft.php?search=set&airline=BLI&al_op=1] :

*1 Britten-Norman Islander (Reg. G-XAXA)
*2 Britten-Norman Trislander (One for sale [ [http://www.aradian.com/glcoc.htm G-LCOC sale details] ] ) (Reg. G-BEDP, G-LCOC)
*4 BAe Jetstream 32EP
*1 Dornier 328-110 (which is operated by ScotAirways) [ [http://www.simon-brooke.co.uk/Gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=6754 G-BYHG with Blue Islands titles on 6 November 2007] ]

External links

* [http://www.blueislands.com Blue Islands]
* [http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?airlinesearch=Rockhopper&distinct_entry=true Photos of Rockhopper aircraft]
* [http://www.ciaviation.com CI Aviation]

References