ECONOMIC Development Minister Alan Maclean says that he did not know the axe was about to fall on the Heathrow route when he was touting its success at the Senatorial hustings.

And the minister says that in the current economic climate, his department’s efforts are going to be put into maintaining existing routes, not adding new ones.

Senator Maclean again refused to disclose the subsidy that bmi received from the States for running the service – he has previously refused applications by the Jersey Evening Post under the code of practice on public access to official information.

Facing questions from States Members about the cancellation of scheduled air links, he said: ‘The department learned about a week before (about the Heathrow cancellation). The subsidy issue has been aired on many occasions. It is not a figure that I am prepared to release. It was an arrangement made in commercial confidence and I believe that it should remain that way, so that we can get the best deal possible for the taxpayer.’