WORK to install a new scanner at the Airport caused long queues for passengers on Thursday.
Pictures posted on social media showed the queue for security stretching the entire length of the departures hall and going out through the fire door at the southern end of the building.
The longest queue was experienced between 7am and 8am, with one passenger contacting the JEP to complain about a lack of communication to passengers and the failure to issue any advance advice about allowing extra time.
Three departing flights, to Heathrow, Gatwick and Exeter, saw delays of around half an hour while another Gatwick flight took off 89 minutes late.
A spokesperson for Jersey Airport said the issue resulted from work to install a third scanning machine, after two others were brought into operation in late July.
In a statement, the spokesperson continued: “Due to the installation of the new scanning machine, space is currently restricted on the other side of the boarding-pass check.
“We were on hand explaining to customers and no passengers missed their flights.”
Some passengers said that although the queues had been long, they had been fast-moving, but others described the situation as “a shambles” and said it appeared there were insufficient staff working in security.
After the first two scanners were installed in the summer, one of the old scanners remained in place temporarily as a “resilience measure”. The scanner installed this week replaces this machine.
The scanners are part of a £3 million project to improve customer facilities and upgrade security technology, with new security equipment becoming compulsory for most British airports by June 2024.
