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AIRPORTFeature!
View of Jersey airport with Jersey Airlines DH 89
'Rapide' aeroplane on forecourt, façade of terminal
building in middle distance
much work to do to bring it aircraft and, against even
up to scratch again. fiercer opposition from anti-
noise groups, a 6,000 foot
So once again there was a concrete runway was built in
battle for money and more 1976. That is its length
opposition to expansion, but today, and it is likely to
the first tarmac runway was remain so because the only
built in 1952. This was four way to lengthen the runway
times the length of the grass is at its eastern end where it
strips and therefore able to comes up against St Peter's
So the Piers and Harbours Committee of the States set about
cater for the larger, modern Church and village.
providing an airport which would be more suited to the 20th
aircraft flying in the middle
century.
of the 20th century, So popular was Jersey as a
including some jets. holiday destination, that the
After quite a battle, the money was secured and the airport
facilities provided at the
opened at St Peter, and was an immediate success.
Further
lengthening of
The longest of the four grass runways, was just 980 yards, but
the runway
this was sufficient to take the rather smaller airlines of the
was required
1930s, and within a year about 20,000 passengers flew into
as the airlines
the new airport.
took on bigger
and faster
Despite the huge
economic importance of
Jersey Airport it has over
View of Jersey Airport and surrounding
the years struggled
countryside, on tarmac 2 de Havilland
against opposition,
'Rapides', 2 de Havilland 'Herons', 2
particularly from people
Douglas 'Dakotas'
who wanted to halt its
expansion because of
noise and disruption.
Nothing much happened
at the airport during the
German Occupation,
although the Luftwaffe
seemed to suffer a
disproportionate number
of accidents in the
Island. They built
concrete taxiways and a
couple of hangars but
the airport was largely
derelict by the time the
war ended and although
commercial flights
began again almost
immediately after
Liberation, there was
20/20 five
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