Drones Stop Flights Landing at Jersey for a Second Night, and the Island Seeks Counter-Drone Help

Drones stopped four flights landing at Jersey Airport on Saturday, October 31, 2026, the second evening in a row. British Airways BA1356 turned back to Heathrow, easyJet U2883 and Loganair LM558 were canceled, and a flight from Madeira ended up in Paris.

Jersey’s Chief Minister, Senator Lyndon Farnham, called the flying “deliberate and unlawful” and said the island is working with UK authorities and specialist agencies on detection and counter-drone technology. It follows Friday’s turn-backs, which sent three UK flights home.

What happened to the four flights

In a statement carried by Great Yorkshire Radio, the airport said “illegal and persistent drone activity” meant “four flights were not able to land as scheduled.” It did not name them, but Channel 103 and tracking data fill in the list.

Flight	From	What the tracking shows	Outcome
BA1356 (A320neo)	Heathrow	Took off 7:10 p.m., back at Heathrow 7:44 p.m.	Canceled
U2883 (A319)	Gatwick	No flight recorded	Canceled
LM558 (ATR 72)	Southampton	No flight recorded	Canceled
5O724 (737-700)	Funchal, Madeira	Held near Jersey, then flew on	Landed at Paris CDG 8:53 p.m.

The Madeira flight came closest to landing. FlightAware’s track has the ASL Airlines France 737, callsign FPO724, in a holding pattern at 14,000 feet for about 20 minutes from around 7:50 p.m., roughly 9 to 17 nautical miles west of the airport.

It then passed within about 2 nautical miles of the field, still at 14,000 feet, and carried on to Charles de Gaulle. FlightStats had it due in Jersey at 8:05 p.m., and the same flight number landed there the Saturday before. AeroCorner found no report of how its passengers were getting to the island.

BA1356 turned back much farther out, at about 20,000 feet near the Isle of Wight, some 90 nautical miles from Jersey, around 7:26 p.m. That was about 40 minutes before the airport’s public message at 8:05 p.m., as timed by the BBC.

A track does not give a reason, and AeroCorner found no explanation from British Airways.

The Gatwick flight never left the ground at London Gatwick. Myles Landick, a director of Jersey Rugby Club who was on board, told Channel 103 the captain announced the drone activity at the end of the runway, and the aircraft then waited about an hour in a holding area.

“They (the drones) did disappear for a short period of time, but they reappeared,” Landick said.

Where the counts differ

Great Yorkshire Radio’s report names only the Heathrow and Southampton services as canceled, while Channel 103 adds Gatwick. FlightAware lists U2883 as canceled, which supports Channel 103 and fits the airport’s total of four.

Channel 103’s later report also counts three cancellations for each night. For Friday, the BBC has the Gatwick flight landing at about 23:45 and only the Heathrow and Southampton services canceled, which makes two.

What police and the government have said

Police have now put some detail on Friday. Channel 103 reported that the first call came at 8:20 p.m. and more followed until around 10:30 p.m., and that searches in the west of the island found no operator.

Insp Rob McCallum said “two or three” drones were believed to have entered the restricted airspace on Friday, and that the incident was not thought to be linked to terrorism, according to the BBC. Police want sightings and footage from St Peter and other western areas.

Anyone who sees a drone being flown should not approach the operator, police said, according to LBC, but should note the location and any vehicle details and call 999.

Farnham said operating a drone near an airport “is not a prank or a harmless hobby.” His message to those responsible: “if you are identified, you should expect to face the full consequences of the law.”

What Sunday looks like for passengers

The airport said airlines were arranging alternatives directly with passengers, and it asked anyone flying on Sunday morning to check with their airline. Landick said his canceled flight would not be re-run on Sunday and that larger aircraft would apparently be used, which AeroCorner could not confirm with an airline.

The knock-on effect was already visible. At about 2:15 a.m. on Sunday, FlightAware listed the early BA1357 to Heathrow and U2882 to Gatwick as canceled, and Avionio’s board showed the same. Neither airline has given a reason that AeroCorner could find.

What counter-drone help could mean

Farnham listed three things Jersey is exploring: “additional operational support, enhanced detection capability and counter-drone technology.” Those are separate jobs: detection tells controllers whether a reported drone is real and where it is, while counter-drone technology is meant to stop it.

He named no agency, system or date. Jersey is a self-governing Crown Dependency, not part of the UK, though the UK handles its defense.

There is a recent precedent for a request like that. In November 2025, the UK agreed to send Royal Air Force specialists to Belgium at its request after drone incursions closed Brussels and Liège airports, CBS News reported, and neither country yet knew where the drones had come from.

Gatwick shows how such a case can end. LBC reported that the December 2018 closure lasted about 30 hours and hit about 1,000 flights and more than 140,000 passengers, and that Sussex Police closed the case with nobody charged.

Farnham said “lessons from these incidents will be acted upon swiftly.” FlightAware shows BA1356, U2883 and LM558 all scheduled again for Sunday evening.