Government call for airlines interested in servicing island

Airlines interested in operating services to and from the Isle of Man have been asked to come forward.

The Department of Infrastructure (DOI) said it wants to gauge interest in scheduling services to airports in London and the North West.

The procurement exercise was to identify "suitably capable and experienced airlines" that could service the routes.

The DOI said it was an exploratory exercise for the time being.

The prior information notice has called for airlines capable of servicing a London route to submit a summary of their experience, with details of their current aircraft fleet and proposed schedule, and capacity for routes.

The department has asked for information about current slots at London Heathrow, London City and London Gatwick airports, and proposals for others in the region with direct rail connections to central London.

Meanwhile, operators with an interest in scheduling routes in the North West have been asked to provide similar information, with details about any slots at Manchester airport.

They have also been asked to detail a proposed schedule, flight times and capacity for routes to Liverpool and Manchester in particular, but not restricted to those destinations.

Information about airlines with the capacity to operate services in the early morning, and late evening, to support business travel and patients flying for medical care, has also been requested.

For North West routes, submissions could also include models of financial support or incentives, if required to operate the route.

The call has come after several months of disruption at the Isle of Man Airport due to a combination of weather, runway instrument landing system upgrades, and air traffic controller staff shortages.

However,it was announced this week that those would be reduced to two a day from 1 August.

Why not follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and Twitter? You can also send story ideas to [email protected]