Flights cuts 'no reflection on airport' - minister

A reduction in flights between the Isle of Man and the North West of England was "no reflection on the island's airport", the infrastructure minister has said.

She said EasyJet's schedule changes were not based on how the the facility was "managed or run but was rather a "business decision" made by the firm, she said.

The airline is set to reduce flights between Ronaldsway Airport and Liverpool and Manchester between April and November following a fall in demand.

Michelle Haywood said while she was "comforted" the carrier would continue to serve the island, she "understands the frustrations" of those whose travel plans had been disrupted.

An EasyJet spokesman previously said the airline continually reviewed its schedule across its network "to align with demand".

While its flights to London Gatwick and Bristol have been unaffected, in April the airline will run up to 12 flights a week to and from Manchester, and 10 flights a week to and from Liverpool.

Haywood said there had been a "real difference" in the types of flights the airline wanted to provide, and "by adding 33 new routes from the UK into Europe they need the planes to be elsewhere".

"Some of the take-off and land journeys have been a casualty of that change, its easyJet's decision to make, its unfortunate the Isle of Man is losing out slightly," she said.

But the minister said the Strategic Air Services Policy, which was recently passed by Tynwald and maintains an open skies policy, allowed the island "freedom to negotiate with airlines to explore new route".

"Work is ongoing with the airport and the Department for Enterprise over improving routes and getting increased connections into other destinations," she added.

Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.