The States Trading Supervisory Board, which runs the airport, is asking the States to approve the repairs, acknowledging that while the scaffolding plays ‘an essential role’, it is ‘unsightly and provides an unwelcome first and last impression for visitors to the island’. It said that removing it at the earliest safe opportunity was ‘imperative’.
The scaffolding was erected in 2025 after roof panels were repeatedly dislodged by high winds and fell onto the apron and forecourt – most recently during Storm Ciaran in 2023. But the board said the problem goes back to the terminal’s construction, completed in 2004, and is the result of ‘systemic defects in its design and construction’ rather than isolated failures.
A structural inspection by civil engineers T&G found that water had got into the roof voids and corroded the steelwork, and concluded further deterioration was ‘inevitable’ unless the defects were fixed – meaning the scaffolding would otherwise have to stay ‘long-term or even permanent’. Engineers noted the roof appeared to have been built with ‘poor or perhaps no oversight’, with details ‘improvised or adjusted to suit on site’.
The board considered cheaper options – £4.2m. for only urgent repairs, or £4.5m. for urgent and important work – but said these would need further remediation within five years and more scaffolding, and did not represent best value. The full £6.1m. scheme, it said, would restore the roof’s wind resistance and allow the scaffolding to be removed for good, with the roof then expected to last around 20 years.
The scaffolding alone had cost about £165,000 by mid-2026.
The repairs would be funded from the General Revenue Reserve if the States agrees to add the job to its Major Projects Portfolio. Subject to States approval expected late this year, work would begin in mid-2027 and be completed by late 2028 or early 2029.
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