The Chief Minister told last night’s Isle of Man Newspapers Awards for Excellence audience that he expected some better news about air flights to and from the island to be announced soon.
Allan Bell MHK said that there would shortly be an annoucement of a resumption of flights between Ronaldsway to Glasgow and that he was ‘confident’ that there would be positive news on the BA CityFlyer service to London City soon.
Yesterday he also held talks with Flybe’s chief executive, Saad Hammad.
Blows to the island’s air links in the past year have included:
- Flybe’s decision to pull out of Gatwick Airport from March next year. EasyJet is to increase its Ronaldsway-Gatwick service but there will be far fewer flights and they’ll be at less convenient times.
- BA CityFlyer cutting its service to London City from three times a day to once
- The loss of all services to Scotland
- The loss of services to Leeds and Oxford
- Flybe’s announcement last week that it was to close its base in the island and make 49 people redundant.
More on this story in Monday’s Isle of Man Examiner.