Departure
97%
vs 95% ▲ 2
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Jersey Airport (ICAO EGJJ) is the principal aerodrome of the Channel Islands, sited in the parish of Saint Peter some four nautical miles west-northwest of Saint Helier. It is a busy, ATC-controlled international airport with a single hard-surfaced runway equipped with ILS, and its history stretches back to the 1930s, taking in wartime occupation, RAF and Luftwaffe use, and post-war expansion into a modern regional gateway.
Jersey Airport lies in the parish of Saint Peter on the island of Jersey, about four nautical miles west-northwest of the island's capital, Saint Helier. It is operated by Ports of Jersey and handles substantial scheduled airline traffic to and from the UK and continental Europe, making it the busiest airfield in the Channel Islands. For a visiting VFR pilot it offers a full ATC service, a long ILS-equipped runway and a setting on the high ground above Jersey's south-west coast, making it a distinctive and useful stop for those touring the Channel Islands.
The airport sits above Saint Peter, on Jersey's western side, within the island's own controlled airspace and aerodrome traffic zone; the presence of dedicated approach, departure, tower and ground frequencies indicates a full air traffic control service rather than a basic air-ground facility. It is the only major airport on Jersey and the principal aerodrome for the Channel Islands region as a whole.
Jersey Airport has a single physical runway, 08/26, of hard surface construction and lit for night operations. The 08 threshold gives a declared length of about 5,394 ft, while the reciprocal 26 threshold gives about 5,278 ft; both directions are served by an ILS, allowing instrument approaches from either end. Field elevation is 269 ft.
Jersey provides a comprehensive radio service. Approach and departure traffic can be worked on 118.555 MHz or 120.305 MHz, with a combined tower/approach/departure frequency also available on 125.205 MHz. Tower frequencies are 119.455 MHz and 120.45 MHz, ground movements are handled on 121.905 MHz, and the automatic terminal information service broadcasts on 134.68 MHz. Both runway ends are served by ILS, supporting instrument approaches in poor weather.
Air services to Jersey pre-date the airport itself, with biplane airliners and seaplanes having used the island before a proper aerodrome existed. In early March 1940 the Admiralty took over the airfield as a Naval Air Station, RNAS Jersey, home briefly to 755 Naval Air Squadron and 763 Naval Air Squadron. Both units withdrew by the end of May 1940 as the Channel Islands were judged indefensible, and RNAS Jersey closed on 31 May 1940; 816 Naval Air Squadron made a short further use of the field between 6 and 11 June before the German occupation began on 1 July 1940. During the occupation the Luftwaffe built concrete taxiways and hangars, including the Jersey Airlines hangar, which survives today though no longer in use. The wartime grass strips were superseded in 1952 by a new 4,200 ft tarmac runway. A notable feature of the airport in the 1950s was a road traffic-light system that halted vehicles on the road from Les Quennevais whenever aircraft were being moved to or from the BEA hangar. The original 1937 terminal building, despite containing asbestos and being slated for demolition in 2014, was ultimately retained after its historical significance was recognised, and its future demolition was reconsidered; by 2021 it had been confirmed that the building would remain standing.
The airport is operated by Ports of Jersey, formed in 2012 through the integration of the airport with Jersey Harbours and formally merged as a single entity in October 2015. It remains a busy international gateway, with historical annual traffic in the tens of thousands of movements and well over a million passengers, and continues to attract scheduled airline services to UK and European destinations. Given its status as a controlled international airport with active airline operations, visiting light aircraft should expect to coordinate with air traffic control and to arrange prior permission before arrival.
