Initially, travel in a business tunnel is strictly limited to same day return travel only.
From Tuesday 21 July 2020, business tunnel travel can be facilitated without the need for mandatory self-isolation provided it is carried out in a controlled environment. Travel to and from the airport hangars or terminal building must not be on public transport. Social distancing of one metre must be maintained at all times. Contacts must be recorded for tracing purposes and should be minimised. Passengers must wear facemasks as they pass through the airport and in the transport to their meeting location. Business meetings must be held in well ventilated offices and not in public places such as restaurants or bars. It is for those applying for business tunnel travel to organise an appropriate venue for their meeting.
From Tuesday 28 July 2020, business tunnel travel can be facilitated by scheduled service with Aurigny. Initially, the day-return rotations will operate on Tuesdays and Thursdays from Southampton Airport. See Aurigny’s website for more information and bookings: www.aurigny.com.
For those organising business tunnel travel through a private or charter flight only, an option will be to host a face to face socially distanced meeting at the Fixed Base Operator hangar site. This will also require the recording of all meeting attendants, together with the observation of social distancing of one metre and the implementation of hygiene precautions.
Guernsey Ports and Public Health Guernsey have been working with the two main Fixed Base Operators, Aiglle Flight Support and ASG-Pula Aviation Services, to provide such a solution. Contact information for both operators is provided here:
Aiglle Flight Support
http://aiglle.co.uk/
ops@aiglle.com
+44 (0)1481 239 544
ASG – Pula Aviation Services
https://flyasg.co.uk/
flightsupport@flyasg.co.uk
+44 (0)7414 639414
The arrangement with these operators is based on the use of private or charter aircraft and includes the option of booking meeting facilities within the ASG and Aiglle hangars. The operators will ensure that flights operate only when weather and visibility are forecast to be good enough to arrive and return on the same day, and that they have robust contigency plans in the event that the aircraft suffers from technical problems. Passenger details must be submitted by the FBOs in advance to the Guernsey Border Agency per standard practice.
IMPORTANT: All businesses looking to benefit from the business tunnels initiative will need to notify the States of Guernsey providing the relevant information for review to ensure that all legal requirements for use of the business tunnels are met against a set of criteria, similar to the critical workers exemption programme. Further details on the form and criteria can be found at covid19.gov.gg/guidance/travel.
More information about the business tunnel initiative here: https://covid19.gov.gg/guidance/travel/businesstunnels
