Jersey Aircraft Registry forced to close
The Jersey Aircraft Registry (JAR) has closed, following a review by the Jersey government States Assembly. Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture, deputy Kirsten Morel concluded the registry “does not represent value for Jersey taxpayers” and that it should “cease to operate in its current form”,
The UK Department for Transport (DfT) has been officially informed of the closure, following the final aircraft registered at the JAR being transferred to another jurisdiction’s register.
The review conducted by officials highlighted that significant additional resources would be needed for the registry to meet international regulatory requirements.
In an official statement, Morel said: “My decision has been based on JAR’s commercial underperformance, which does not represent value for Jersey taxpayers, and because additional investment would be needed to enhance its regulatory compliance if it were to continue.
“Jersey’s regulatory compliance requirements would be the same whether one or 1,000 aircraft were registered, and closing the JAR removes the need for those resources.”
Since its launch in 2015, a total of four aircraft have been registered. The number then fell from three to one over the course of this year.
The decision to close the registry will have no impact on Jersey’s flight connections. Traffic services and aerodromes will also remain unaffected by the closure.
The minister said aviation and connectivity will continue to be of fundamental importance to Jersey’s community, and he would “support opportunities for the sector to develop in a way that benefits Jersey’s economy”.
Morel added that Jersey officials are preparing a new aviation strategy for the island, which includes looking at how Jersey can benefit from registry-related services. “They will identify the reasons for the JAR’s underperformance and any decisions on future registry-related activity will be mindful of those reasons, to ensure that we learn from our experiences of operating the JAR to date,” he said.
JAR declined to comment on the closure.
