Islanders rally to safeguard mail plane which would 'disrupt way of life' if scrapped

A petition to prevent the removal of Jersey's mail plane has been created.

The 'Preserve Jersey's Mail Plane' petition was started by Christopher Bee, the managing director of an air-freight-handling company and has over 300 signatures so far.

Royal Mail is considering scrapping the mail plane which delivers to Jersey and the Isle of Man, and delivering to the islands by ferry instead.

The move has caused outrage amongst some islanders as it would take at least two days for parcels and letters to reach the Crown Dependencies from the UK mainland.

While Royal Mail says it currently has no plans to scrap Guernsey's mail plane, the company says "it is possible that we may do so in future".

Alongside the petition, Mr Bee writes: "The potential cancellation of the daily mail plane service to Jersey threatens to disrupt our way of life, isolate businesses, and dismantle critical air freight infrastructure.

"This service underpins commerce and air freight and, without it, the Island would lag behind in logistics and face the risk of reduced competitiveness and diminished resilience.

"The discontinuation of this service would threaten Jersey's economic vigour and connectivity and would be felt by all - from individuals to businesses."

Mr Bee wants the Government of Jersey to take action to protect the mail plane. His petition is available until November.

Royal Mail is also running a consultation where islanders can give their views on the proposed changes until Friday 2 June.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...