Guernsey's runway closed for an hour as flight returns to island reporting technical issue

The runway at Guernsey Airport had to be closed for a little over an hour this morning (Friday) due to a flight reporting a technical issue.

At 8:42am outbound Blue Islands flight SI4408, which was heading for Jersey, reported a technical issue on take-off and the crew decided to return to the airport.

Guernsey Ports say the aircraft landed safely at the airport and was met by emergency services.

All passengers were transferred back to the terminal via a bus and the runway reopened at 9.50am.

A spokesperson for Blue Islands says: "We apologise for the inconvenience to our passengers who have been rebooked on to an additional service to Jersey at 11:30am.

"Safety of our passengers, crew and aircraft is our number one priority at all times."

It meant that Aurigny’s 8:55am outbound service to Alderney was delayed and an inbound flight from Southampton had to hold overhead until the runway reopened.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...