Jersey (EGJJ)

[wakeup]

Any news on the new Incorporated Company? It seems very quiet! :O

[tubby linton]

Airport designs 'remove history' says heritage campaigner - BBC News (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-36815629?utm_content=bufferc766b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer)

[kcockayne]

Any news on the new Incorporated Company? It seems very quiet! :O

Not much, really. There are plans to redevelop the ground area that is occupied by the current car park & to replace the arrivals hall. They may try to provide remote parking for drivers from the west of the island & then carry them into St.Helier by bus. Jersey is trying to attract upwards of 1 million visitors per annum, but whether that can be achieved is highly debatable because the island has lost an awful lot of hotels in the last few years & I am not sure whether we could provide accommodation for 1m+ visitors ! If they succeed, the airport should get busier, but it is doubtful that it will ever return to the 2 & a half million pax of yesteryear.
Speaking as someone who previously fought hard to stop the incorporated company from ever getting off the ground ( & succeeding in its first anticipated incarnation), I am highly doubtful that the Airport will ever achieve anything by virtue of being run by an Incorporated Company which it could not have achieved as a publicly run body - other than providing bonuses for the Directors of the Incorporated Company, of course !

[Jerbourg]

easyJet have announced that they will operate a three times weekly service from BHX-JER in summer 2024, I wonder if this will spell the end of Blue Islands on the route?

Blue Islands to face competition from EasyJet on flights between Jersey and Birmingham | ITV News Channel (https://www.itv.com/news/channel/2023-06-29/easyjet-to-start-flying-between-jersey-and-birmingham)

[KindaUnstuck]

In the Flybe days I think there were up to 4/5 daily flights on some days during the summer so in theory the route would be able to support more capacity than Blue Islands currently offers.

​​​​​​I guess the tipping point may come if EasyJet adds a Friday flight for people looking to do long weekends in Jersey as at the moment them having no flights between Wednesday and Sunday seems a little odd and a bit of a hole in the EasyJet schedule.

[Egda]

I have lived in Guernsey for the last 15 years and all I remember from Flybe's time was a morning and evening flight and that went via Guernsey. If I was Blue Islands I would be worried

[Albert Hall]

I'd have thought they'd take a leaf out of Loganair's book, sit tight and wait for easyJet to give up. They did on BRS-JER before when easyJet came on a couple of years ago, so I can't think why they'd do anything different. That approach has worked for Loganair and with a random easyJet schedule here, then they'll probably be OK in the long run.

[KindaUnstuck]

I have lived in Guernsey for the last 15 years and all I remember from Flybe's time was a morning and evening flight and that went via Guernsey. If I was Blue Islands I would be worried

​​​​​There were additional direct JER-BHX flights that did not involve Guernsey, sometimes several per day especially at weekends during the summer.

Will be interesting to see how this evolves.

[kcockayne]

Albert Hall has got it about right. Two, or so, years ago EZY operated from Birmingham, but gave it up pretty quickly. Who’ s to say that the same won’t happen this time ?

[ATNotts]

Albert Hall has got it about right. Two, or so, years ago EZY operated from Birmingham, but gave it up pretty quickly. Who’ s to say that the same won’t happen this time ?
At that time overseas travel restrictions were such that The Channel Islands were one of very few destinations which were available to airlines and holiday makers. I don't think that anyone, least of all Easyjet expected to be serving JER from BHX after the pandemic travel restrictions wound down. If it wasn't for the new BHX base they wouldn't be in 2024.

As it is it looks as though Easyjet Holidays has done some deals with Jersey hotels that they hope will underpin the operation.

[bmaviscount]

Do we know what was damaged yesterday?

I see some railings fell off the old 1930s building ; anything else?

[kcockayne]

I haven’t scoured the local media, but I haven’t seen or heard anything about damage at the airport. Odd, because this was a horrendous storm, & the airport was about as exposed to it as you can get - 90 knot winds & no shelter at all ! If there was no serious damage, it would suggest that everyone involved at the airport did a very good job indeed in mitigating the storm’s effect !

[TCAS FAN]

I haven’t scoured the local media, but I haven’t seen or heard anything about damage at the airport. Odd, because this was a horrendous storm, & the airport was about as exposed to it as you can get - 90 knot winds & no shelter at all ! If there was no serious damage, it would suggest that everyone involved at the airport did a very good job indeed in mitigating the storm’s effect !

The NATS AIS website shows that the airport is currently NOTAMed as closed until 1300.

[kcockayne]

Yes, but that was as a result of a decision made before the storm struck - not as a consequence of any storm damage. It may be that subsequent damage has prolonged the pre-emptive closure. But, the airport closed before the storm & the closure was planned to continue into today.

[kcockayne]

Although, I am just hearing that there was some damage done - maybe to the ILS etc.

[TCAS FAN]

Although, I am just hearing that there was some damage done - maybe to the ILS etc.

The airport closure NOTAM expired at 1300 with no extension. No other NOTAM issued to indicate any impact on flights, so indicates that its now ops normal. Awaiting repatriation of Blue Island's ATRs, was wondering if one or more may come home via SOU to pick up afternoon flight PAX?

[pabely]

EZY from Gatwick recently landed, as well as a Netjets.

[SWBKCB]

The ATR's are up and about - one will be in SOU from JER shortly, one just returned from LPL to JER (14.15 local)

[kcockayne]

Consequent on the delivery of my local newspaper : A Ports of Jersey a spokesman said, “engineers have been assessing the damage caused & inspections have revealed extensive infrastructure, equipment & system failures. We are working to remedy the faults as quickly as possible, but until the work is completed & the airport is safe, secure & compliant, it has to remain closed to commercial operations”.
So, some damage etc. but capably dealt with with, I suggest, the minimum of delay.
As reported above, now open.

[Egda]

Easyjet have announced the closure of their Amsterdam service.
https://www.channel103.com/news/jersey/easyjet-scraps-amsterdam-route/?fbclid=IwAR2zbFghRjbdmcy6sLBbNrIy9DX7EWq8Hh62JeZM8-hQ0bDyEYx3Ard8u8A

[kcockayne]

Regrettably, this was always likely to be the case. The plain (pardon the pun) fact is that neither of the main islands has a market which is big enough to encourage an airline like EZY to start (& then retain) “sustainable” routes to Europe. The same result is inevitable with the AUR Guernsey to Paris route ; unless the initial subsidy from the States of Guernsey - which was necessary to initiate the route - is continued indefinitely. A big disappointment, but a simple fact of life, I am afraid. Even when it only operates a couple of times per week.

[Jerbourg]

BA are to return to the LGW-JER route for the 'summer months' according to ITV Channel, the route will operate 4 times a week according to the article.
British Airways' Jersey to Gatwick route returns | ITV News Channel (https://www.itv.com/news/channel/2024-02-09/british-airways-jersey-to-gatwick-route-returns)

[kcockayne]

The article states that BA stopped the Gatwick service because of Covid, & then did not reinstate it. As far as my memory goes, it was reinstated a couple of years ago for the summer only after the States of Jersey had reached an agreement with them - possibly involving a subsidy - but stopped again after just one summer. Is this correct ?

[Markushillman]

The article states that BA stopped the Gatwick service because of Covid, & then did not reinstate it. As far as my memory goes, it was reinstated a couple of years ago for the summer only after the States of Jersey had reached an agreement with them - possibly involving a subsidy - but stopped again after just one summer. Is this correct ?

Interesting one considering Easyjet operate it multiple times a day. When I flew on it last summer in June the flights were only 60% full then