A NEW cohort of security staff have been recruited as part of ongoing attempts to solve shortages at the Airport.
Ports of Jersey said its recently launched recruitment drive for security personnel had secured several new officers, with 20 more applicants currently being interviewed.
In November, airport director Robin MacRae said that a combination of staff sickness and operational demands in other areas of the business had caused a ‘shortage of resources’, in particular among ‘appropriately trained security personnel
An Airport spokesperson said: ‘At the end of 2021, Ports of Jersey set out to recruit 16 full-time and six zero-hour security officers, with a view to reviewing the staffing levels once the 2022 forecasted figures were firmed up and we had a better idea of where we were with Covid travel restrictions.
‘To date, we have recruited and trained seven full-time and five zero-hour security officers.
‘We are in the process of interviewing a further 20 applicants, who will then undertake their security training in March, in readiness for the Easter school holidays.’
Meanwhile, the spokesperson said that work was ongoing to ensure there were enough ground-handling staff.
‘We continue to work closely with our handling agent, Swissport, and are supporting them with their own recruitment campaign to ensure that they have sufficient resources to deliver the ground-handling service requirements for summer 2022.
‘They are continuing to bring trained staff across from the UK to support the local Jersey operation on a temporary basis until they have successfully recruited the numbers required on Island.’
The easing of Covid travel restrictions in England has also prompted Swissport to look at its staffing levels as flight volumes return to normal.
A Swissport spokesperson said: ‘With the imminent ending of Covid-19 restrictions, we are pleased to see that flight volumes are now returning to normal.
‘As we look ahead to the summer months, we are considering our resourcing levels to ensure we support our airport partners.’
