Guernsey airline Aurigny under investigation for 'serious incident' after flying too low in fog
ITV Channel reporter Emma Volney explains why the airline is under scrutiny. Broadcast live on Tuesday 27 August
Guernsey's States-owned airline Aurigny is being independently investigated after officials say one of its leased planes dropped below the minimum required height for flying in fog.
The passenger ATR72 aircraft is operated by Lithuanian company Jump Air and was travelling from Southampton to Guernsey Airport on Monday 12 August during adverse weather conditions.
The 9:05am GR651 service reached just 56 feet above the island's runway - equal to the height of around four double-decker buses - before its pilot aborted the landing.
French air safety authorities, Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses (BEA), have declared the event a "serious incident" based on preliminary data from UK authorities who are carrying out the inquiry.
The Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB) has opened a full-scale investigation into what happened.
In response, Aurigny say it would be inappropriate to comment while this evaluation is taking place.
The plane eventually landed safely in Guernsey just before 1pm having initially returned to Southampton Airport, no-one was injured.
Aurigny is already under investigation by the AAIB for a separate incident after a leased De Havilland Canada DHC-8 passenger plane overshot Guernsey Airport's runway on Tuesday 23 April - again no-one was injured.
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