Flights affected by drones for second night running

Drones flying in Jersey Airport airspace have affected flights for a second night in a row.

The arriving 8pm Madeira flight has been diverted to Paris, and the incoming flights from Southampton, London Gatwick and London Heathrow have been cancelled.

It means many passengers have been affected from getting to Jersey for a second day in a row.

Read more on yesterday's disruption here: 'Disruption affecting flight movements' at Jersey Airport - Channel 103

Myles Landick, Director of Jersey Rugby Club, was on the scheduled Gatwick flight.

He told Channel 103:

"We boarded the plane on time, made our way to the runway, got to the end of the runway, we were just about to take off, and the captain came over the tannoy system, essentially saying there's drone activity at Jersey Airport.

"We then left the runway and went to a holding area for the aircraft, whilst we waited for more news, waited there for around an hour, left that holding bay and came back to a remote stand at Gatwick, where they fuelled the aircraft up just in case we were going to take off and circle until it was appropriate to land.

"They (the drones) did disappear for a short period of time, but they reappeared.

"Our flight has now been cancelled, we've just rebooked in a hotel, but they're going to put some bigger aircraft on apparently for tomorrow (Sunday).

"Essentially the flight we were on won't go tomorrow, so everyone has to check the app and website and look to see what flight they can get on, and what availability there is, tomorrow."

States of Jersey Police appealed today for information to help find those responsible for flying the drones yesterday.

The force has just posted on social media, asking anyone who sees someone operating a drone now to call 999.

Read more here: Appeal after drone reports near Jersey Airport - Channel 103

In a statement, Chief Minister, Senator Lyndon Farnham, said:

"The deliberate and unlawful operation of drones in the vicinity of Jersey Airport over the past two evenings has caused significant disruption to passengers, airlines and airport operations.

"I would like to thank the teams from Ports of Jersey, States of Jersey Police, Air Traffic Control, the emergency services and all those involved for their swift and professional response to an extremely challenging situation. Their first priority has rightly been the safety of the travelling public and aircrew.

"The Government and our operational partners are treating these incidents with the utmost seriousness.

"Police investigations are ongoing and every available avenue is being pursued to identify those responsible. We are also working closely with UK authorities and specialist agencies to explore additional operational support, enhanced detection capability and counter-drone technology.

People should be under no illusion about the seriousness of these actions. Operating a drone close to an airport is not a prank or a harmless hobby. It puts public safety at risk, disrupts critical transport infrastructure and can have significant consequences for hundreds of travellers and businesses.

To those responsible, the message is clear: if you are identified, you should expect to face the full consequences of the law.

I would encourage anyone who has information which could assist the investigation, including sightings of drones, operators or potential launch locations, to contact the States of Jersey Police immediately.

Jersey Airport remains safe, and we are determined to do everything necessary both to identify those responsible and to strengthen our capability to prevent this happening again.

The public can be assured that all relevant agencies are working together at pace and that lessons from these incidents will be acted upon swiftly.

Our airport is a vital lifeline for the Island. We will not tolerate behaviour that jeopardises its safe operation or undermines public confidence in our transport infrastructure.