Passenger loads are also increasing, with flight volumes now at 65% of pre-pandemic levels, which Ports say is far ahead of other regional airports in the British Isles.
The union representing Swissport workers, however, says that the firm only has itself to blame, after laying off staff last year rather than keep them on with Government payroll support.
Many islanders took to social media this week to vent their frustrations not only at delays but also a lack of information. Former Chief Minister Frank Walker, for example, was delayed by over an hour and a half at the weekend, “apparently due to a lack of ground staff”, he wrote on Facebook.
Pictured: Many passengers, including former Chief Minister Frank Walker, have taken to social media to share their frustrations.
The former board member of Ports of Jersey was particularly annoyed by the lack of updates on information screens.
Ports’ Director of Strategy and Development Alan Merry responded to the post: “Hi Frank. I agree with your sentiments entirely. All of the info flows from the ground staff team so if they are short, everything gets impacted, including updating the info screens.
“However, not good enough whatever the reason!”
Pictured: Jet2 has a busy schedule flying in and out of Jersey this summer.
Express understands that flight delays over the weekend were consistently around 40-60 minutes. There were also long queues going through security and some uniformed handling agents and engineers were helping to load bags in and out of aircraft holds to speed up the process.
Airport Director Robin MacRae said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the aviation industry with traffic levels being 95% down during the first four months of this year.
“Unlike many UK airports, here in Jersey we have seen passenger numbers ramp up much more quickly, which is great for news for the island’s economy and connectivity for our customers.
“In the last week alone, we had almost 30,000 passengers travelling through the airport. The strength of the demand to fly to Jersey was certainly a factor in British Airways decision to continue to fly from Heathrow to Jersey over the winter season.
“It’s also important to recognise the incredible performance of our Covid arrivals testing regime and the clinicians and support staff that provide such an excellent service, along with all of our Ports of Jersey team members who work tirelessly to provide the best possible customer experience under what has been challenging circumstances.
“The positive ramp up has however presented our business partners with logistical and resourcing challenges and we are working closely with them to improve turnaround times at the airport and supporting their operation wherever possible.
“Ground handling agents, Swissport, are still flying staff across from the UK to support the operation, while they continue with their recruitment campaign on island. They are working hard to get the resource they need, but realistically there will likely be challenges over the next few weeks of the summer and we will continue to support them where we can.
“The pandemic has presented the aviation industry with exceptional and unprecedented challenges, but despite those challenges we are experiencing a really positive recovery here at Jersey airport and we continue to be totally committed to providing our customers with the best possible service and with an airport that they can be proud of.”
Pictured: Flights at the Airport have returned to 65% of their pre-pandemic levels.
A spokesperson for Swissport said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the aviation industry. Changing guidance and restrictions for travel mean flight volumes are now returning, but fluctuating demand has presented logistical challenges throughout the pandemic.
“We understand the frustration of passengers at Jersey Airport and we sincerely apologise for the delays. We are working hard with our partners to improve turnaround times at the airport.”
James Turner, regional officer of Unite the Union said: “It is the opinion of Unite the Union that the continued delays at the Airport are directly caused by Swissport making redundancies earlier this year when the furlough scheme was still available to them, attempting then to rehire the same staff on lesser pay and conditions.
“Clearly many staff rejected these offers as you would expect now leaving holes in the service Swissport provides, causing distress and delays to passengers of all ages and I’m sure remaining staff are feeling the pressure. We understand Swissport have now recruited or transferred staff from the UK mainland or other jurisdictions to temporarily plug the holes.”