Drone Activity Disrupts Jersey Airport Flights on Two Nights as Police Investigate

ST PETER, Jersey, 1 November 2026 – Drone activity near Jersey Airport disrupted flights to the Channel Island on two evenings in a row this weekend, forcing diversions and cancellations. The Chief Minister, Senator Lyndon Farnham, described it as deliberate and unlawful, and the States of Jersey Police are investigating.

No drone operator had been identified when the government issued its latest update on Sunday 1 November. The BBC reported on Sunday night that there were no reports of disruption to that evening’s flights.

What happened on Friday and Saturday

On Friday 30 October, the first drone report came in at about 8.20pm, and activity was reported until about 10.30pm, police told Bailiwick Express. Police said the drones were in restricted airspace and active flight paths. Three inbound aircraft were diverted; one of them was later able to land at about 11.45pm, with the airport staying open late. Flight-tracking data cited by Bailiwick Express showed the three as a British Airways flight from Heathrow, a Loganair flight from Southampton and an easyJet flight from Gatwick.

On Saturday 31 October, Jersey Airport said at 20:05 GMT that inbound flights were being disrupted by further drone activity near the airfield, according to the BBC. The airport said four flights could not land as scheduled, AeroTime reports. A flight from Madeira circled over Jersey before diverting to Paris, a passenger on board told the BBC. Inspector Rob McCallum of the States of Jersey Police said officers believed “two or three” drones had entered the restricted airspace that evening, and that they were not thought to be linked to terrorism, the BBC reports.

What the authorities said

In a statement on 1 November, Senator Farnham said: “Operating a drone close to an airport is not a prank or a harmless hobby.” He said the government was working with UK authorities and specialist agencies on extra operational support, better detection and counter-drone technology, and that anyone identified should expect to face the full consequences of the law.

A government update the same day said officials and operational partners had met to review the response and were preparing measures to reduce the risk of more disruption. It said passengers travelling for medical reasons who had been affected were being given priority on flights as services allowed.

Police have appealed for witnesses, footage and information from anyone who flew a drone in the west of the island on Friday evening, and later widened the appeal to the whole island, according to Bailiwick Express. The reference is M07922/2026. The BBC notes that under the Air Navigation (Jersey) Law 2014, anyone found to have endangered an aircraft could be fined or jailed for up to five years.

The impact on passengers

Loganair, whose Southampton to Jersey flights were cancelled on both evenings, said it gave overnight accommodation to all affected passengers and flew in extra aircraft from Scotland to protect early morning departures from Jersey, the BBC reports. The disruption fell during the half-term holiday: Jersey RFC told the BBC its team could not rebook as a group and had to stay in the UK until Monday, which it said would cost the club thousands of pounds.

Anyone flying to or from Jersey this week should check their flight status with the airline before leaving for the airport, especially for evening arrivals, which were the flights affected. Our guide to flight diversions explains what happens when an aircraft cannot land at its destination and what airlines usually do for passengers.

What happens next

The police investigation is continuing. The Government of Jersey has said it will keep islanders updated if there are significant developments, and talks with UK agencies about further support and detection capability are under way. FlyingFuel will update this story if there is further disruption or an arrest.

Read more

• What is a flight diversion? Why planes divert and what happens next
• UK flight delay compensation: your UK261 rights explained
• What is a go-around? Why pilots abort a landing
• Gatwick second runway: what is planned

Sources: Government of Jersey, statement from the Chief Minister, 1 November 2026; Government of Jersey, update on drone activity, 1 November 2026; BBC News, 1 November 2026; BBC News, 2 November 2026; Bailiwick Express, 31 October 2026; Bailiwick Express, 1 November 2026; AeroTime, 1 November 2026.

Featured image: FlyingFuel graphic using a photo of the air traffic control tower at Jersey Airport by Wolfgang Pehlemann, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons.