UPDATED: TECHNICAL ISSUES FOR ISLAND FLYER – HOVERTRAVEL SUSPEND CROSS-SOLENT SERVICE

Hovertravel has suspended its Ryde-Southsea service this morning (Tuesday) as its Island Flyer craft has suffered a technical issue mid-Solent. Island Flyer departed Southsea as normal but just minutes into the journey an issue developed following a ‘loud bang’. It appears the craft is now travelling at just 4kts as it limps back to Ryde. Annual maintenance means that just 1 craft is available for use on the route. With Island Flyer now requiring attention, the entire operation has ground to a halt. An update is expected at 08:45. Tickets are being accepted on Wightlink’s Fastcat service between Ryde Pier Head and Portsmouth Harbour. Island Echo is told that the 06:15 from Portsmouth departed 15 minutes late this morning, but the service does now appear to be running to timetable. Hovertravel failed to run any services yesterday due to the adverse weather. UPDATE @ 08:12 – Island Flyer has safely returned to Ryde after more than an hour at sea, coming to a stop at the bottom of the pad. Passengers have had to walk across the sandy slipway and up to the terminal. They say that they were told a motor shaft had split. The service remains suspended. UPDATE @ 13:40 – Services have now resumed.