Aurigny

Aurigny is one of the smallest airlines you regularly see at big British airports – and one of the most distinctive. Behind the white and yellow titles is the airline of the Channel Island of Guernsey, which is owned by the island government, flew the three-engine curiosity Trislander for decades and today relies consistently on the ATR 72-600. This page shows you what makes Aurigny what it is, which aircraft you can expect and how to recognize the airline reliably.

Aurigny at a glance

Aurigny Air Services is the airline of Guernsey, the second-largest Channel Island off the coast of Normandy. The name is no coincidence: “Aurigny” is the French name for the neighboring island of Alderney – and that is exactly where the story began. The company was founded in January 1964 as Glos Air, received its present name in February 1968, and Aurigny began flight operations on March 1, 1968. The founder was Sir Derrick Bailey.

Since May 2003, Aurigny has been fully owned by the States of Guernsey, the island’s government. Before that the airline was privately held. In 2024 the intermediate holding company was dissolved, and since then the island government has held the airline directly. For Guernsey, Aurigny is thus far more than a transport company: the flights are the most important fast connection to the British mainland, and the routes to Alderney are considered the lifeline of the small neighboring island.

A special point for classification: Guernsey is a Crown Dependency of the British Crown, but belongs neither to the United Kingdom nor to the EU. Even so, Aurigny flies with British G registrations, and its network is closely intertwined with Great Britain. That is why you will find Aurigny on our site among the British airlines.

Codes and callsign

• IATA code GR: appears in the flight number, so on the display board, boarding pass and in schedules.
• ICAO code AUR: appears in the air traffic control flight plan and on most flight trackers.
• Callsign AYLINE: this is how the crew identifies itself on the radio.

The callsign “AYLINE” is a nice example of how radio callsigns do not always match the brand name. If you listen to a recording from Gatwick or Southampton for the first time, you will not recognize Aurigny right away. On the tracker, by contrast, the code AUR helps – and the flight number GR with a three-digit number. How to read ADS-B data sensibly at the spot is explained in the guide to flight tracking for spotters; the Flightradar24 tutorial provides an introduction to the app.

From Trislander to ATR: the history

Aurigny’s history is also a history of unusual aircraft. The most important stages at a glance:

Between these milestones lie many small chapters. From 1999 Aurigny also deployed Saab 340s, for example to London Stansted. In 2009, connections to Stansted and East Midlands were added, and in winter Aurigny even flew to Grenoble for a time for skiers. In 2011 the competitor Blue Islands withdrew from Alderney, and since then Aurigny has been alone on this route. And as a curiosity: as early as 1977, Aurigny banned smoking on all flights – making it one of the first, if not the first, airline with a smoking ban on board.

The Trislander and “Joey”

No aircraft shaped Aurigny’s image as much as the Britten-Norman Trislander. The type is a stretched Islander with a third piston engine mounted high up in the vertical stabilizer – a sight you will find on hardly any other aircraft. It first flew in September 1970, only 80 were built in total, and with its short takeoff and landing distances it was made for the tiny island airfields. Aurigny was not only the launch operator but also the largest user of the type.

The best-known aircraft was G-JOEY – “Joey” –, which was something like the airline’s mascot on Guernsey. On June 28, 2015, Joey made her last flight. She stayed on Guernsey and has been on display in an indoor playground since January 2019. The last Trislanders left the fleet in 2017. If you want to see a Trislander today, you have to look for museum pieces or very few individual aircraft.

The fleet today

Since 2023, Aurigny has been pursuing a clear strategy: one fleet, one type. The airline justified this with more reliable operations, less diversity of spare parts and easier swapping when an aircraft is out of service. On the Guernsey–Gatwick route, according to Aurigny, the ATR uses around 36 percent less fuel per passenger than the jet previously deployed.

Type	Status (as of 2026)	Use	Spotter note
ATR 72-600	around six aircraft, some leased	All routes except Alderney	Registrations with a Guernsey connection, three aircraft with a ClearVision camera for fog
DHC-6 Twin Otter (Series 300)	two Alderney aircraft plus a spare, provided by Isles of Scilly Skybus	Alderney–Guernsey and Alderney–Southampton	Small high-wing with fixed landing gear in Aurigny colors
Dornier 228NG	retired early 2026	formerly Alderney routes	G-OAUR and G-ETAC, over 32,000 takeoffs and landings since 2015
Embraer 195	retired May 2024	formerly mainly Gatwick	The only jet in the company’s history
Britten-Norman Trislander	retired 2017	Inter-island service from 1971	G-JOEY preserved on Guernsey

The ATR 72-600 is thus the aircraft you almost always see at Aurigny. The manufacturer is the French-Italian company ATR. The fleet grew step by step in recent years: in July 2024 the fourth ATR arrived with G-PEMB, at the end of November 2024 the fifth with G-PBOT, and in January 2026 Aurigny announced a sixth, likewise leased ATR. Because leased aircraft sometimes arrive still in the previous operator’s colors – G-PEMB, for example, arrived in red and white, with the repaint only planned for the following winter –, it is worth taking a close look at new arrivals.

Aurigny likes to give its ATRs names and registrations with a connection to the island. G-ORAI recalls the Guernsey Raiders rugby team, G-OGFC the Guernsey Football Club, G-PEMB the Pembroke beach and G-PBOT the bay of Petit Bot. Then there is G-OATR. For collectors, that is a stroke of luck: the registrations are easy to remember and tell a piece of island history.

Alderney: the Twin Otter route

The connection to Alderney is the most exciting part of the Aurigny network. The island has only a small airfield with short runways, and an ATR cannot sensibly be used there. That is why Aurigny flew here for decades with the Trislander and from 2015 with two Dornier 228NGs. Since November 2025, DHC-6 Twin Otters of the Series 300 have taken over this task. They do not belong to Aurigny itself but are provided by Isles of Scilly Skybus under a leasing agreement, yet wear the Aurigny livery. The last Dornier 228NG said goodbye in February 2026 with a water cannon salute on arrival in Guernsey.

The changeover did not go smoothly. In the first months many flights were canceled, mainly because of the weather, and in March 2026 around 200 people demonstrated at Alderney Airport. Aurigny and Skybus then announced that they would base an additional Twin Otter in Guernsey, train their own Alderney crews and, from October 2026, deploy two dedicated aircraft for the island, plus spare aircraft from Skybus. Because there is at times no fuel on Alderney, the small aircraft also have to fly with limited payload on longer sectors such as to Southampton.

How to recognize Aurigny

Aurigny’s livery is white with yellow accents and the titles “Aurigny” on the fuselage. Yellow is the airline’s signature color: even leased new arrivals like G-PEMB are repainted in white and yellow. Combined with the aircraft type, the attribution is then usually clear quickly.

If you want to tell an Aurigny ATR 72 from an older ATR 72-500 of other airlines, details on the cabin and cockpit help. The guide telling turboprops apart shows you how to distinguish the ATR 42, ATR 72 and Dash 8 and how to recognize the generations. For comparison, a look at the page on the ATR 72-500 is also worthwhile.

Route network and where to spot Aurigny

The network is small but densely scheduled. The most important route is Guernsey–London Gatwick with several daily rotations; since Flybe withdrew in 2014, Aurigny has flown it alone. For summer 2026, Aurigny has also resumed three daily flights to Southampton, after Blue Islands ceased operations in November 2025. There are also connections to Manchester and other British regional airports as well as seasonal destinations. Because the offering shifts from season to season: check the current schedule before your trip.

The easiest place to catch Aurigny is London Gatwick Airport, where the ATR stands out pleasantly among the big jets. Aurigny is also a guest at Manchester Airport; there the Runway Visitor Park is well suited for turboprops on approach. If you want to explore British regional traffic as a whole, you will find further candidates at Loganair and Eastern Airways.

Photo tips for Aurigny turboprops

Aurigny flies propeller aircraft exclusively, and that changes your camera settings. With very fast shutter speeds you freeze the propellers – they then look as if they are standing still, which looks unnatural on turboprops. Slower speeds, at which a propeller disc shows, are better. How to find the balance between shutter speed and sharpness is explained in photographing propellers. With the Twin Otter and its fixed landing gear and slim fuselage, a side-on perspective that emphasizes the distinctive silhouette is also worthwhile.

Small airfields like Alderney or Guernsey often offer short walking distances and a relaxed atmosphere. You will find general tips in the article spotting at small regional airports, and an overview of the industry in the post on regional airlines in Europe. And if you sort your sightings by registration, the guide to British G registrations helps you decode them.

Common mix-ups

• Confusing Aurigny with Blue Islands – both were active in the Channel Islands; Blue Islands ceased flight operations in November 2025, and since then Aurigny has flown Guernsey–Southampton, for example, alone.
• Thinking Guernsey is part of Great Britain – the island is a Crown Dependency with its own government, even though the aircraft carry G registrations.
• Logging the Twin Otter as an Aurigny-owned aircraft – the aircraft are provided by Isles of Scilly Skybus, Aurigny supplies the brand and flight number.
• Expecting an Aurigny Embraer 195 – the only jet left the fleet in May 2024.
• Still looking for the Dornier 228NG – it flew for Aurigny for the last time in early 2026.
• Not being able to place AYLINE – the callsign belongs to Aurigny, even if it sounds different.

Conclusion

Aurigny is small, state-owned and full of history. The airline of Guernsey put the Trislander into scheduled service in 1971, flew a single jet for ten years and has now switched entirely to turboprops. For spotters that means: ATR 72-600s in white and yellow at British airports, a Twin Otter on the Alderney route and registrations that tell stories of island bays and sports clubs. If you visit the Channel Islands, with a bit of luck you can see the entire current fleet in one day.