Ports of Jersey annual fees increase

Ports of Jersey has set its annual increase in fees at the harbour and airport. They are due to rise this year by the September 2022 rate of inflation, which was 10.4%. There are exemptions to the increase, including fishermen and those organisations which have pre-existing business arrangements.

This annual increase takes into account the fact that Ports of Jersey’s finances are still recovering from the impact of the pandemic, and that passenger volumes will not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024 at the earliest.  Like every business, Ports of Jersey has seen significant increases in operating costs, some of which, like fuel, gas and heating, have been higher than Jersey’s RPI.

Price increases for the harbour are usually from 1 January each year, and from 1 April each year for the airport. For 2023 the harbour increases have been postponed until 1 March to ease the burden on customers. The increase is also 1% less than the price framework agreed with the Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority.

Commercial fishermen will be exempt from this increase, in view of the pressures on the local fishing industry.

Ports of Jersey’s CEO, Matt Thomas, said: “The price framework provided by the Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority provides for an increase in our annual fees by the September RPI plus 1%.  We have decided not to include the extra 1%, but can understand that for some of our customers, this will still seem like a significant increase.

“The pandemic has had a significant impact on the aviation and maritime sectors, amounting to approximately £55 million in lost revenue for us.  We are very proud that we did not seek any taxpayer support throughout the pandemic, and that our employees were redeployed at times to support other key agencies in the Covid response.

“We are planning major capital investment at the airport and harbour, starting this year with improvements in freight and passenger facilities at Elizabeth Harbour. All of Ports of Jersey’s profits are used to invest in the island’s critical services and infrastructure, and in the next five years we will be investing more than £100 million. In setting this increase we have kept the future sustainability of the Island’s connectivity, and the resilience of the airport and harbour infrastructure, at the forefront of our thinking.

“We are pleased to be able to support the Island’s fishing industry by exempting commercial fishermen from this year’s increase in mooring fees.”

Car parking charges at the airport will also increase in price. Parking in the long stay car park will increase from 80p to 90p per hour, and from 80p to £1 per thirty minutes in the short stay car park. Free parking for 30 minutes remains in place in the long stay car park.

Fees are scheduled to rise at the harbour from 1 March and at the airport from 1 April.