Three flights bound for Jersey Airport were diverted on the evening of Friday 30 October 2026 after unauthorised drone activity in restricted airspace near the airport, disrupting services from London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Southampton. Jersey Airport said in a notice timed at 22:25 that unauthorised drone activity was disrupting flight movements and advised passengers to check with their airlines.

The affected services were British Airways BA1356 from Heathrow, easyJet U2883 from Gatwick and Loganair LM558 from Southampton. The Gatwick flight later landed in Jersey at about 11:44pm on a second attempt, according to flight tracking reported locally, while the Heathrow and Southampton services were cancelled. The early BA1357 from Jersey to Heathrow on Saturday was also listed as cancelled.

Police appeal for witnesses

States of Jersey Police said three inbound aircraft were initially diverted, one ultimately landed safely at about 23:45, and the reported activity occurred within restricted airspace and active flight paths, causing significant disruption. No drone operator had been identified at the time of reporting. Police asked anyone in St Peter, La Pulente, Watersplash, El Tico, L'Etacq, Jubilee Hill or surrounding areas who saw drone activity to come forward, quoting reference M07922/2026.

Jersey Airport says flying a drone in restricted airspace without permission from air traffic control is illegal, and the island has a single runway, so there is no second runway to switch traffic to when the airspace is affected. Flights were reported to be running normally again over the weekend, but passengers on evening services were advised to check with their airline before travelling.