Flybe collapse affects Isle of Man hospital patients

Flybe's collapse has left dozens of patients from the Isle of Man unable to attend hospital appointments in England.

The airline operated daily routes to Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham.

It also held a "patient transfer contract" to fly people to and from the north west of England for their appointments.

The island's government said it was now "talking with other airlines" about taking over the routes.

About half of the flights to and from the Isle of Man were operated by Flybe and have been cancelled.

One mother who had been due to travel to take her son to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool said the collapse was "a disaster for all patients travelling from Isle of Man".

Another passenger who had been due fly to Liverpool for an appointment said: "I don't know what to do, I need to call the hospital and ask for another appointment."

About 17,000 patient transfer journeys are taken each year, the majority by air.

Only three of the 31 patients due to travel on Thursday were able to attend UK hospital appointments.

People are sent to UK hospitals for specialised treatments that are not available on the island, including specialised cancer treatment, burn care and transplants.

The government has contracts with several hospitals, predominantly in the North West.

Patients scheduled to travel between Thursday and Monday have been asked to book their own replacement journeys and have the cost reimbursed, or contact the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

The collapse could also have an impact on the treatment of patients at the island's hospital, with some visiting consultants unable to travel to hold clinics.

Specialist consultant Dr Rajinder Byal, who travels from Birmingham to work at Noble's Hospital three days a week, said his "job was at stake now".

The route was "an absolutely crucial part" of his ability to work as a brain specialist, he said, adding: "Without it basically I can't do my job."

"There is no way I can go to London and fly from there, and the closest is Bristol but it's still 80 or 90 miles away and there aren't very many flights."

A children's neurophysiology clinic at Noble's Hospital was cancelled earlier after visiting staff were forced to rearrange return travel to the UK in order to get back for a clinic there on Friday.

Jenna Owens, who travels to the island monthly to help with the clinics, said she felt "awful for the patients".

"Unfortunately the poor patients now have to wait another month until we're next over," she added.

The government said: "We are confident that another operator will be keen to take on these popular routes."

DHSC Minister David Ashford said contingency plans, which include booking patients on the island's ferry, had been "in place for some time" and were now being implemented.

A "very structured approach" was being taken to arranging alternative travel and was being done in a "phased basis" by the date of appointments.

Mr Ashford said: "As per our contingency plans, we will use the Steam Packet to get people over with an overnight stay.

"From there we will look on a week-by-week basis as to where we go."

The collapse has also left hundreds of business and leisure travellers on the island having to make alternative arrangements.

The final Flybe flights from Liverpool and Manchester landed at Ronaldsway Airport shortly before 21:00 GMT on Wednesday.

Four other airlines operate flights to and from the island, including daily routes to London Gatwick, Liverpool and Dublin.

The island is also served by two return ferry crossings to Heysham each day, however return sailings to Liverpool are suspended during the winter months.

The government-owned Isle of Man Steam Packet Company said there was "considerable excess capacity on most scheduled sailings " and extra reservation staff were on duty to assist "passengers who are affected".

In September last year, Flybe announced it would be scaling down its Isle of Man operations, closing its base at the island's airport and handing full control to partner Stobart Air in 2020.

A "phased" closure of the base at Ronaldsway Airport was due to be completed by the start of this summer.