- Saturday 4 July will be busiest day at Jersey Airport in 14 years
- Up to 7,000 passengers will be passing through the terminal as Island Games athletes return home
- There will be 75 per cent more passengers than on an average summer Saturday
- 29 flights will be filled solely with Island Games passengers
JERSEY Airport is preparing for its busiest day in 14 years when thousands of competitors fly home from the NatWest Island Games on Saturday 4 July.
While much of the rest of the Island is busy preparing for the start of the week-long event, Airport officials are already looking to the day after the closing ceremony, when up to 7,000 passengers are expected to pass through the terminal – 75 per cent more than on an average summer Saturday.
View the latest arrivals and departures times here.[/breakout]
Fourteen private jets have been scheduled to take competitors home, and a total of 29 flights will be filled solely with Island Games passengers.
The last time the Airport saw similar numbers of traffic was on Saturday 11 August 2001 as 7,438 passengers left the Island, many of whom were tourists heading home after the Battle of Flowers.
Departing passengers on 4 July are being advised to allow extra time for their journeys, with the busiest period expected to be between 2 pm and 3 pm, when 700 people are scheduled to depart.
The Ports of Jersey communications manager, Alan Donald, said that the Airport will be ‘operating at capacity’ but insisted they are well prepared to cope.
Mr Donald said: ‘Summer Saturdays are always a busy time for Jersey Airport and we have sufficient resources and facilities equipped to deal with this high volume.
‘But we are advising departing air passengers, in particular, to allow additional time for their journey, especially during peak travel time, which is expected to be between 11 am and 3 pm.’
Additional staff have been drafted into the Airport to help out during busier periods, including ground handlers, security agents, customer relations hosts and Games Makers, who will welcome and greet passengers.
- 14 sports
- 24 islands
- 36 sports venues
- 1,664 medals
- 2,600 athletes
- 35 partner hotels
- 450 Waitrose Games Makers
- 50+ visiting media
- 200+ sports officials
- 4,000+ accredited passes
- 3 Games loop busses
Other special arrangements to reduce congestion will include the opening of additional security lanes, the use of pre-printed boarding cards, designated coach drop-off points and special storage arrangements for luggage.
Over 600 Games participants are also expected to leave Jersey by sea on 4 July on the Condor Liberation.
The arrival of the athletes before Games week will also put pressure on the Island’s ports with an additional 15 chartered flights coming into Jersey on Friday 26 June and Saturday 27 June.
The Airport is expecting an influx of visitors shortly before the opening ceremony this Saturday, with 160 passengers touching down at 4 pm and a further 170 at 5.30 pm.
The team from the Scandinavian island of Gotland, which is due to host the next Island Games in 2017, will be among the last-minute arrivals, with their flight arriving an hour and an half before their athletes are due to take part in the 7 pm opening ceremony.
On Saturday 4 July the short-stay car park in front of the Airport arrivals hall and the stopping zone adjacent to the departures hall is to be closed to the public to allow access for coaches carrying Island Games passengers.
For information and updates on Jersey Airport click here
- The first aeroplane to land in Jersey touched down on the beach at West Park, on the Islands south coast in August 1912. However, it would be another 25 years before Jersey had an airport on dry land.
- Recognising the growing importance and popularity of air travel, the Jersey Chamber of Commerce pushed for a purpose-built airport and, in 1934, the States of Jersey agreed to the purchase of a privately-owned field in St Peter, towards the west of the Island.
- The new Jersey Airport was officially opened on 10 March 1937 at a total cost of £127,000. The project used a total of 97 acres, with a 980-yard grass runway.
- At the time, Jersey Airport boasted two hangars and the terminal building itself included a central tower and two side buildings for arrivals and departures, with a restaurant and terraces on the second floor.
- Within a year of opening, an estimated 20,000 visitors had flown to Jersey, many of them holidaying from mainland UK.
- In 1955 over 383,000 passengers used Jersey Airport, revealing for the first time that air travel had become more popular than sea as a means of getting to the Island.
- During the 1950s a tarmac runway was built. This era also saw the construction of a new road from Jersey Airport to Beaumont known commonly as the Airport Approach Road.
- By the 1970s, Jersey Airport had become the sixth busiest airport in Europe.
- A modern extension to complement the original 1937 main building was opened in 1997, providing more space and better facilities for departing passengers. Amongst the airlines that made use of the new facilities was British Airways, who have long been associated with flights to and from the Island.
- A new Air Traffic Control Building and Tower became fully functional in November 2010
