Detained Blue Islands planes released by Guernsey Ports

Guernsey Ports has released two impounded Blue Islands planes after reaching a financial settlement with their owners over unpaid fees, officials have said.

The two ATR-72 aircraft had been detained at Guernsey Airport since the airline ceased trading in mid-November.

The States of Guernsey said that "the majority of Blue Islands' outstanding debt to Guernsey Ports" would be recovered as a result of the agreement.

A claim would be made to the airline's liquidators to recover the remaining unpaid fees, it added.

The States' Trading Supervisory Board said that it had been represented in the negotiations by Guernsey's Law Officers, and that no external legal costs had been incurred.

"Following the sudden collapse of Blue Islands, Guernsey Ports moved quickly to protect the island's interest and recover money owed by the airline," said committee President, Deputy Mark Helyar.

"It has involved some very complex, detailed discussions with the owners of these aircraft, with expert legal assistance being provided by the Law Officers.

"As a result we have now reached a settlement that is very positive for the island, which is a credit to the team involved."

When it went into administration, Blue Islands owed the Government of Jersey £9.1m, while the Ports of Jersey was owed £3.2m.

Nearly 100 employees were made redundant following the airline's collapse, liquidators Ernst and Young LLP confirmed.

The deadline for submitting claims to the liquidators is 29 December 2025.

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