Longer runway could provide fog solution

Tuesday 11 April 2017

A longer runway at Jersey Airport could reduce the number of passengers affected by fog and inclement weather delays, but Ports of Jersey say that the expense would outweigh the benefits.

Passenger numbers to Jersey took a hit of around 3,500 in February this year, according to newly-released statistics from Visit Jersey. Overall arrivals stood at just less than 55,000 – a decline of nearly 3,500 compared with the previous year.

Visit Jersey said that this was almost entirely due to a drop in air passengers, a consequence of increased fog and having one fewer day than 2016, a leap year.

Hardest affected were arrivals from London Gatwick – an airport accounting for nearly 50% of all air arrivals on the Island – which saw passenger numbers decrease by 1,187.

Playing 'where's the control tower?' in Jersey. #fog #delays #boredalready pic.twitter.com/hBC7gf01nB

— Alison Moss (@alisonmoss2017) February 20, 2017

The Guernsey to Jersey route also suffered a blow of 1,191, while Manchester to Jersey decreased by 1,037.

Myra Shacklady, Commercial Director of Ports of Jersey, told Express that extending Jersey Airport’s runway could offer a potential solution, but remained too costly a move for the moment.

“The airport is in a position that it is fairly high up, and the expense of doing something to the runway, which would be mega mega money, is not feasible.

“When visibility is limited, the longer approach and longer a runway you have is more advantageous to the pilot and the plane… [but] the expense of doing it far outweighs the number of days we lose because of inclement weather,” she said.

Today: Overcast with occasional drizzle. Fog becoming patchy by this evening then mist or hill fog patches overnight. Max 11°C. Min 9°C. pic.twitter.com/uRlT6tDl0e

— Jersey Met (@Jersey_Met) February 20, 2017

However, she said that the drop wasn’t of concern to Ports of Jersey, as “figures have been increasing steadily year on year for the last five years and we carried 58,000 passengers more than budgeted last year”.

“In 2016, we had our highest carry – just under 1.6 million – since the year 2000. Things are in a very positive situation,” she added.

February's fog caused issues for business and organisations around the Island, with Jersey Post having undergone delays to its service and Jersey Football Association forced to cancel an under-18 fixture against Luton Town Cedars.

BREAKING NEWS| @JerseyFA regretfully announce that tomorrows fixture against Luton Town Cedars U18 is canceled due to 'Fog' Jersey Airport. pic.twitter.com/pIDH7QjkYI

— Jersey FA (@JerseyFA) February 17, 2017

But Helen Hart, Jersey Hospitality Association Manager, said that the decline had fortunately come out of season for most establishments.

“However, we’re now getting a lot more stats coming through from Visit Jersey and the Ports, and that really helps with future planning… It allows us to get a bigger picture of what’s happening.”