Jersey Airport

Jersey Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorJersey Airport
ServesJersey
LocationSaint Peter, Jersey
Opened10 March 1937 (1937-03-10)
Elevation AMSL277 ft / 84 m
Coordinates49°12′29″N 002°11′43″W / 49.20806°N 2.19528°W / 49.20806; -2.19528
Websitewww.jerseyairport.com
Map
EGJJ
Location on Jersey
EGJJ
Location relative to the United Kingdom
EGJJ
EGJJ (France)
EGJJ
EGJJ (Europe)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
08/26 1,706 5,597 Asphalt
Statistics (2022)
Passengers1,336,225
Passenger Change 21-2297%
Aircraft Movements17,083
Movements Change 21-2270%
Sources: UK AIP at NATS[1]
Statistics from the UK Civil Aviation Authority[2]

Jersey Airport (IATA: JER, ICAO: EGJJ) is an international airport located in the parish of Saint Peter, 4 NM (7.4 km; 4.6 mi) west northwest of Saint Helier[1] in Jersey, in the Channel Islands.

History

Foundation and early years

Air service to Jersey before 1937 consisted of biplane airliners and some seaplanes landing on the beach at Saint Aubin's bay. Jersey Airways and Imperial Airways were among those who operated to the island before the Second World War, but conditions were difficult as tides governed timetables. It was also difficult to prevent public members from walking across the landing area, and any aircraft that had mechanical problems had to be dragged up the slipways until the tide receded.

The States of Jersey decided to build an airport, which opened on 10 March 1937 with four grass runways, the longest being 2,940 ft (896 m) with a concrete centreline.

In early March 1940 the Admiralty took over Jersey airport, to use as a Naval Air Station, known as RNAS Jersey. 755 Naval Air Squadron, a Telegraphist Air Gunner Training Squadron and 763 Naval Air Squadron, Torpedo, Spotter, Reconnaissance Pool No.1 arrived on 11 March 1940. On 21 May 1940, 826 Naval Air Squadron arrived for one weeks operation, departing on 29 May. However, due to the German occupation of France and the proximity to the Channel Islands, the Government concluded the Islands were not defendable, and both 755 NAS and 763 NAS were withdrawn on 31 May 1940, with RNAS Jersey closing on the same day. 816 Naval Air Squadron briefly used Jersey Airport between 6 and 11 June 1940; however, on 1 July 1940 the Island was occupied by German forces.[3]

Concrete taxiways were added during the World War II occupation by the Luftwaffe; they also built hangars, one of which, the Jersey Airlines hangar, is still in existence, although no longer used.

Development after WWII

A 4,200 ft (1,280 m) tarmac runway was opened in 1952 and the grass strips were closed. A feature of the airport in the 1950s was the traffic control system: traffic-lights were in place to prevent vehicles using the road from Les Quennevais to the Airport when planes were being moved to or from the hangar used by B.E.A.

The runway was lengthened several times over the years, reaching its current length of 5,560 ft (1,690 m) in 1976. It is 150 ft (46 m) wide. Additional taxiways were added several years later to improve access to the one end of the runway. Due to its restricted length, in October 2007 Thomsonfly announced the removal of some services, as it introduced the larger Boeing 737-800 to its fleet.[4] Designated 09/27 in 1952, the runway was redesignated 08/26 in October 2014 due to a shift in the Earth's magnetic poles.[5]

In March 2012, led by a group chief executive, the successful completion of an integration programme with Jersey Harbours saw the creation of Ports of Jersey. The States of Jersey passed a business case in early 2015, and the companies were joined on 1 October 2015.

There were approximately 47,000 aircraft movements and 1,600,000 passengers at the airport during 2016.[2]

Terminal

The 1937 terminal was designed with a control tower between the arrivals and departures areas. The terminal was extended in 1976. A new departures terminal adjoining the existing terminal was opened in 1997. A new air traffic control tower was completed and opened in late 2010, and all major airport operations have been transferred to these new buildings.

Work was intended to begin late 2011 to demolish the original airport building, constructed in 1937 and which contains large quantities of asbestos but work was never undertaken, as the building was nominated as a protected historical building. On 17 March 2014 it was determined that the old terminal building would have to be demolished on grounds of aviation safety,[6] but this was later reconsidered, and in 2021 it was confirmed that the building would not be demolished.[7]

Jersey is part of the Common Travel Area, which means that there are limited identity card checks before boarding a flight to the UK or the Republic of Ireland. There are full passport checks when travelling to or from other countries, however.

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights to and from Jersey:[8]

AirlinesDestinations
Aer Lingus Seasonal: Dublin[9][10]
Alsie Express Sønderborg (begins 25 July 2026)[11]
Aurigny Guernsey[12]
Seasonal Charter: Teesside (begins 12 May 2026)[13]
British Airways London–Gatwick,[14] London–Heathrow[15][16]
Seasonal charter: Faro,[17] Málaga,[18] Palma de Mallorca[19][20]
easyJet Birmingham,[21] Glasgow,[22] Liverpool,[22] London–Gatwick,[23] London–Luton,[24] Manchester[25]
Seasonal: Belfast–International,[22] Edinburgh,[26] London–Southend (begins 30 March 2026)[27]
Eurowings Seasonal: Düsseldorf[28]
Finist'air Seasonal: Alderney,[29] Brest[30]
Jet2.com Seasonal: East Midlands,[31] Leeds/Bradford,[32] Manchester (begins 1 May 2027),[33] Newcastle upon Tyne[34]
KLM Seasonal: Amsterdam (begins 4 April 2026)[35]
Loganair[36] Bristol, Exeter, Southampton
Seasonal: Dublin (begins 1 June 2026),[37] East Midlands (begins 31 May 2026),[37] Norwich (begins 9 May 2026),[37] Paris–Charles de Gaulle (begins 31 May 2026)[37]
Lufthansa Seasonal: Munich[38]
Smartwings Seasonal charter: Tenerife–South[39]

General aviation

Apart from scheduled airline services, Jersey Airport accommodates a thriving general aviation population, including the Jersey Aero Club. It is also home to the Jersey International Air Display in September each year. Both Isle-Fly and Gama Aviation are based at Jersey Airport and offer worldwide private charter flights.

Statistics

Busiest routes to and from Jersey (2024)[40]
Rank Airport Total
passengers
Change
2023 / 24
Airline(s)
1 London–Gatwick 381,673 11.4% easyJet
2 London–Heathrow 335,045 0.18% British Airways
3 Liverpool 118,835 0.14% easyJet
4 London–Luton 101,937 0.6% easyJet
5 Manchester 91,717 4.3% easyJet
6 Southampton 89,523 10.4% Blue Islands
7 Guernsey 64,830 16.1% Blue Islands
8 Glasgow 53,371 4.6% easyJet
9 Birmingham 37,790 13.4% Blue Islands, Jet2.com
10 Bristol 31,185 12.7% Blue Islands

Ground transport

Road

There are long and short-stay car parks located at the airport, and free parking areas for bicycles and motorcycles.[41] There are also many Car Hire companies, with desks located in the Arrivals Hall.

The airport connects to the road network via a roundabout onto L'Avenue de la Reine Elizabeth II and L'Avenue de la Commune.

Public transport

There is a public taxi rank, and bus stop directly outside the arrivals hall. LibertyBus route 15 is the main service between the Airport and the main bus station, Liberation Station in St Helier;[42] it runs every 15 minutes (20 on Sundays). Additionally, hourly route 9 between St Helier and La Grève de Lecq calls at the airport, as does seasonal route 22 between St Helier and l'Etacq, which is also hourly.

Accidents and incidents

References

  1. ^ a b "Jersey – EGJJ". Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
  2. ^ a b "Aircraft and passenger traffic data from UK airports". UK Civil Aviation Authority. Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  3. ^ "RNAS Jersey". www.royalnavyresearcharchive.org.uk. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  4. ^ Airline cuts back island flights Archived 30 November 2024 at the Wayback Machine BBC News – 9 October 2007
  5. ^ "Jersey airport runway re-named as magnetic pole shifts". BBC News. 14 October 2014. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  6. ^ "BBC News – Jersey's listed airport building can be demolished". Bbc.co.uk. 17 March 2014. Archived from the original on 20 March 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  7. ^ "1937 Airport building will be allowed to stay". Jersey Evening Post. 25 February 2021. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  8. ^ jerseyairport.com - Where we fly to Archived 31 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 7 July 2019
  9. ^ "Aer Lingus and Emerald Airlines to start regional routes from St Patrick's Day 2022". 16 December 2021. Archived from the original on 16 December 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  10. ^ Liu, Jim (14 December 2022). "AerLingus NS23 European Network Changes – 12DEC22". Aeroroutes.com. Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
  11. ^ "Oplev Jersey". alsieexpress.dk. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  12. ^ Whitehead, Harry; Barnes, Georgina (15 November 2025). "Aurigny aims to run Guernsey-Jersey flights long-term". BBC News. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  13. ^ "Flights to Jersey with Teesside Airport". Archived from the original on 13 October 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  14. ^ "British Airways Resumes London Gatwick – Jersey From late-May 2024". Aeroroutes. Archived from the original on 18 February 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  15. ^ "British Airways". Archived from the original on 30 September 2021.
  16. ^ "British Airways NW24 Heathrow – Europe Frequency Changes – 27OCT24". Aeroroutes. Archived from the original on 7 December 2024. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  17. ^ "Flying Direct to the Algarve from Jersey". Archived from the original on 18 October 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  18. ^ "Flying Direct to Costa del Sol from Jersey". Archived from the original on 6 October 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  19. ^ "Flying Direct to Majorca from Jersey". Archived from the original on 12 July 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  20. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 24 October 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  21. ^ "Agents gain early access to packages as EasyJet adds 15 Birmingham routes". Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  22. ^ a b c "Jersey, UK". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 25 (2). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 491–492. August 2023. ISSN 1466-8718.
  23. ^ Liu, Jim (5 September 2022). "easyJet NW22 London / Manchester Frequency Changes – 04SEP22". Aeroroutes.com. Archived from the original on 1 April 2025. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  24. ^ Liu, Jim (4 July 2022). "easyJet July 2022 UK Operation Update - 03JUL22". Aeroroutes.com. Archived from the original on 19 April 2025. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  25. ^ Liu, Jim (19 January 2024). "easyJet July/August 2024 UK Frequency Variations – 14JAN24". Aeroroutes.com. Archived from the original on 19 April 2025. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  26. ^ Liu, Jim (30 March 2023). "easyJet NS23 Network Changes – 30MAR23". Aeroroutes.com. Archived from the original on 1 April 2025. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  27. ^ "EasyJet adds 16 new routes from eight UK airports". Travel Weekly (in Portuguese). 31 March 2025. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
  28. ^ Liu, Jim (9 April 2022). "Eurowings NS22 Network Expansion Update - 08APR22". Aeroroutes.com. Archived from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  29. ^ "Finist' Air Schedules Jersey / Alderney Service in NS25".
  30. ^ "Voyager à Jersey". Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  31. ^ "Jet2.com launches five new routes to Jersey for Summer 2021". aviation24.be. 30 October 2020. Archived from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  32. ^ "Leeds Bradford, UK". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 25 (2). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 556–557. August 2023. ISSN 1466-8718.
  33. ^ "Jet2's summer 2027 programme goes on sale". Travel Gossip - Home. 15 October 2025. Archived from the original on 13 November 2025. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  34. ^ "Newcastle, UK". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 25 (2). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 748–750. August 2023. ISSN 1466-8718.
  35. ^ Jeune, James (16 December 2025). "Jersey to see return of direct Amsterdam flights – but with new airline". Bailiwick Express News Jersey. Archived from the original on 30 December 2025. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  36. ^ "Loganair to take over from Blue Island". ITV News. 15 November 2025. Archived from the original on 16 November 2025. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  37. ^ a b c d Saunders, Eddie (13 February 2026), Loganair strengthens Jersey connectivity with four direct routes, retrieved 13 February 2026
  38. ^ Liu, Jim (22 January 2024). "Lufthansa / Air Dolomiti NS24 European Network/Frequency Changes – 21JAN24". Aeroroutes.com. Archived from the original on 23 January 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
  39. ^ "Smartwings NW24 Jersey – Tenerife Charters". Archived from the original on 17 August 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  40. ^ "Airport Data 2024". UK Civil Aviation Authority. 21 March 2023. Tables 12.1(XLS) and 12.2 (XLS). Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  41. ^ Jersey Airport Archived 3 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  42. ^ "Liberty Bus" (PDF). libertybus.je. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 January 2013.

Media related to Jersey Airport at Wikimedia Commons