Disruption as multiple flights cancelled following sea mist

Monday 15 May 2023

Seven flights were cancelled yesterday due to adverse weather conditions, with an extra flight put on to accommodate stranded passengers.

Following adverse weather conditions yesterday, four easyJet, one British Airways and two Blue Islands flights were cancelled yesterday.

Due to the large numbers of passengers requiring rebooking, some passengers were unable to fly at all yesterday. 

Some of the casualties of yesterday’s fog included a delegation of designers from architects Gillespies who were due to address the public inquiry into the future of the Waterfront.

Pictured: Some passengers were unable to fly back on they day they had planned due to cancellations. 

Three people, who were part of the team employed by Jersey Development Company to develop reclaimed land between the Underpass and West Park, instead addressed the inquiry virtually.

Numerous delegates have also not been able to make the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly taking place in Jersey today. 

One passenger flying to Jersey from Liverpool reported being diverted back due to fog, and was left stranded on the tarmac at John Lennon Airport for over an hour. The delay was so bad that the pilot urged passengers to take to social media to complain.

After the Liverpool to Jersey flight was diverted back due to fog, we’ve been stranded on the tarmac @LPL_Airport for more than an hour. Credit to the easyJet pilot who has been trying to get anyone to help us. He’s now asked passengers to take to social media and complain. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/KzCZrvGI29

— Josh Wilde (@joshwildejourno) May 14, 2023

The first outbound flight to Gatwick this morning was also cancelled, as the easyJet night stop from Gatwick failed to arrive last night. The airline is rebooking passengers onto the next available flight. 

Further disruption was caused when Gatwick Airport was forced to shut its runway for almost an hour due to a "suspected drone incident" yesterday afternoon. 

An extra Blue Islands flight from Jersey to Bristol has been put on later today to accommodate affected passengers.

This is the latest in a series of chaotic scenes at Jersey Airport.

Last week, Ports of Jersey announced they had launched an investigation after a family was left stranded on a plane for 1½ hours as they waited for wheelchair assistance.

Pictured - from left: Claire, Corban, Ava and Rory Steel. The group were left on the tarmac for an hour and a half. (Rob Currie)

A spokesperson for Swissport said that the delay was triggered by a a number of flights arriving at the same time, poor weather and "resource challenges." 

Express also reported last week that Jersey Airport had placed 19th on the list of 26 airports with the longest delays, with its average six minutes less than the 23-minute average across UK airports.