Drones Halt Jersey Airport Flights for a Second Night

Jersey Airport lost flights to drone activity for a second night running on Saturday. The island's chief minister calls the airport a vital lifeline for Jersey.

Another evening of cancellations

At 20:05 on Saturday the airport reported disruption to inbound flights because of further drone activity near the airfield. One inbound plane circled and was then sent to Paris.—

States of Jersey Police are investigating. Inspector Rob McCallum said officers believe two or three drones entered the restricted airspace. He said they are not thought to be linked to terrorism. Police have asked anyone who knows who is responsible to come forward.

Who was caught out

Jersey RFC said the team's flight home from Southampton taxied, returned to its stand and waited for a few hours before the flight was cancelled at about 21:30 GMT. The club said it was a group booking, and with school half-term under way there were no spare seats to rebook everyone. The team now has to travel from Southampton on Monday morning.

The club says the bill will run to "thousands and thousands of pounds", hotel costs included. It also pointed out that it is a community club that works hard to fund local rugby.

Iselin Jones, director of The Moorings Hotel, was flying home from Madeira. Her plane descended towards Jersey, held for 10 to 15 minutes and was then diverted to Paris. She was booked on a rescheduled flight at 20:00 GMT on Sunday. Evening seems to be when the drones appear, she said, and passengers would have preferred a daylight flight.

Pacific Basirwe was waiting at the airport for his wife and young son, who were flying in from London Heathrow. He said drones should be regulated and the operators prosecuted.

Taxi driver Richard De La Haye, with more than 40 years behind the wheel, described sitting for hours without knowing whether flights would land. If cabs leave, arriving passengers are left waiting. If they stay, they wait for fares that may not come.

Government response to the drones

Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham said that flying a drone close to an airport is "not a prank or a harmless hobby". He added that anyone identified should expect to face the full force of the law.

He said Jersey is working with UK authorities and specialist agencies on extra operational support, better detection and counter-drone technology. The airport, he said, remains safe, and lessons from the incidents will be acted on quickly.

Our View

Two nights of disruption from a handful of drones show how little it takes to halt an airport. The open questions are who is flying them and how soon detection gear will arrive. The answers depend on what the police investigation finds and on what support the UK agencies agree to give.

Source: BBC News