Cancelled flight sees passengers sleep in terminal

Passengers had to spend the night in Guernsey Airport's terminal after a flight between the island and Jersey was cancelled and no accommodation could be found.

The Blue Islands flight was due to depart Guernsey at 20:25 BST on Saturday, but was cancelled an hour later due to severe thunderstorms over Jersey, the airline said.

It added hotels were full and airport representatives explored other options, but no alternative accommodation was available.

A Blue Islands spokesperson said: "Disruption is the last resort, however safety of our passengers, crew and aircraft is always our number one priority. While these circumstances were out of our control we apologise for the inconvenience."

With nine of the flight’s 19 passengers unable to find accommodation, Guernsey Ports said it contacted Guernsey Civil Protection, which arranged for air mattresses and sleeping bags to be brought to the airport.

Affected passengers were provided with bottled water and refreshments were available overnight from the landside vending machines, Guernsey Ports said.

It added that the cafe opened earlier than usual on Sunday morning.

Ross Coppolo, chief operating officer, said: “I would like to thank our teams and the Civil Protection volunteers for their hard work late on Saturday night.

“The passengers from the cancelled inter-island flight to Jersey were understandably upset and some were unable to secure accommodation for the night at short notice.

“We will be working with the operator to help ensure in future that appropriate customer care is provided to passengers in the event of any late cancellations of scheduled services.”

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