30th January 1935
Jersey Airways demands Guernsey monopoly
When the States of Guernsey started discussing plans for a new airport at La Villaize, which would take over from the island’s boggy landing strip at L’Eree, Jersey Airways spotted an opportunity.
Guernsey airport, which was strongly opposed across the island, was expected to cost around £100,000 to build (around £7m today). Jersey Airways, which had not long been in existence itself, offered to underwrite the full cost of the building works in return for an agreement that it would have exclusive rights to fly to and from the new facility for its first five years of operation.
It should perhaps be thankful that the States of Guernsey didn’t accept its offer as the airport wasn’t finished until a few months before the start of the Occupation. As a result, scheduled services were unable to use it until 1945. By that point Jersey Airways’ exclusive rights to operate from the base would have expired.
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Other events that occured in January
Missing parents are declared dead
- Elizabeth and Nicholas Newell were last seen alive in October 1997. Just over three years later they were declared dead.
- Read more…
Jersey appoints its first Foreign Minister
- Jersey appointed its own Foreign Minister when the mainland said that it would no longer represent the island in that capacity.
- Read more…
Mainland-born bailiff dies in Jersey
- William Vernon came to Jersey in his childhood and he eventually became Bailiff. He died, aged 82, in January 1934.
- Read more…
Channel Islands Airways is established
- Channel Island Airways was founded by two mainland railway companies and used to land its aircraft in St Aubin's Bay.
- Read more…
