Alderney Airport other destinations such as Brighton, Bournemouth, Cherbourg, Exeter, Plymouth and Jersey were abandoned over the years due to what Blue Islands for example claimed was 'lack of interest'. These routes had been operated on and off by Aurigny and Blue Islands but also Alderney Air Ferries, Air Sarnia and Air Camelot during the 1970s and 1980s. The number of air routes to the island is at its lowest since the Second World War except for a brief intermission during the 1967-8 period, when another airline (Glos Air, later to be Aurigny Air Services) was found to fill the void (see
Basse-Terre Island area of . The eastern coast of Basse-Terre Island, known as the Windward Coast (in French, "Côte-au-vent"), is exposed to the trade winds and receives a lot of rain, whereas the western coast of the island, known as the Leeward Coast (in French, "Côte-sous-le-vent") is protected from the winds by the Soufrière volcano and is thus much drier. The most populated communes (municipalities) on the island are, in descending order of population, Baie-Mahault (western part of Pointe-à-Pitre urban area), Petit-Bourg, Capesterre-Belle-Eau, Sainte-Rose, Lamentin, Basse-Terre, and Saint-Claude (part of Basse-Terre urban area). Above the city of Basse-Terre on a mountain road,