Aurigny calls in jet to get passengers home after Gatwick security alert

All Aurigny’s Gatwick services use the terminal, which was evacuated just before 11am after a suspicious item was found in a passenger’s luggage.

At the time, the 10.20am from Guernsey was in the air.

It touched down into Gatwick at 11.30am, but the return journey departed more than an hour late.

Sussex Police’s explosive ordnance disposal team was deployed to the airport as a precaution and trains were not stopping at the airport station during the incident.

The issue was resolved at about 3pm, but there were long delays while the terminal reopened.

‘The safety of our customers and crew is our top priority right now, and I’m pleased to confirm all are safe and well,' said Dave Cox, Aurigny's head of ground operations.

The airline was offering free changes to Gatwick passengers yesterday, but many are likely to have wanted to travel as Storm Bert is expected to cause disruption today.

G-OGFC spent longer in Gatwick than planned, throwing the schedule out, and one Gatwick rotation – in the late afternoon – was cancelled.

Aurigny leased a jet – G-POWM – which flew into Guernsey from Stansted to help move more passengers more quickly.

The aircraft operated from London Southend, about 60 miles from Gatwick.

Southend-Guernsey was a route previously served by Blue Islands in 2019. It lasted only about six months.

Some Aurigny passengers were transferred onto Southampton services, though they were told that they needed to make their own way to the Hampshire airport.

One of those passengers told the Guernsey Press that she was just relieved to be getting home.

‘I’m glad Aurigny acted promptly and changed the flight early enough,’ she said.

‘Although if I hadn’t been checking email, I might not have known.

‘It will cost me an extra £43, but at least I should get home before the winds pick up again this weekend.’