Government should intervene to protect not just core air links but ensure stable and frequent services on key regional routes all year round.

That’s the recommendation of a strategic air services policy document that will be debated at the January sitting of Tynwald.

Passenger numbers at Ronaldsway have not recovered to levels they were before Covid with around 200,000 fewer people travelling through the airport, dropping from a peak of around 855,000 in 2019 to a forecast 650,000 at the end of this year.

This represents a significant loss of income. A return to pre-pandemic levels of passenger traffic would result in a direct increase in income of between £1.8m and £2m, the report says.

The day-to-day operation of the airport requires an ongoing level of subsidy from general revenue, which has risen from £4.2m in 2022-23 to £7.2m in 2024-25.

Government intervention on air routes to date has secured a ‘level of connectivity’, the report states, but a longer term approach is required to ensure that the island retains services into the medium to long term for residents, businesses and visitors.

It says government financial support so far has been tactical and delivered because of urgent and pressing need, but the plan is for a ‘coordinated and consistent’ approach, using a ‘range of commercial levers’, to secure, grow and sustain services on routes to the UK and Ireland.

‘Focus will not only be on core routes considered of significant social and economic importance, but will also extend to ensuring there are frequent, year-round services on regional routes to enable greater travel options for residents, businesses and visitors,’ the report recommends.

Under the current ‘open skies’ policy, any airline can operate scheduled and charter services without the need for a route licence.

The report recommends that this policy is retained as ‘overarching principle’.

Enterprise Minister Tim Johnston MHK said: ‘Reliable, frequent, and attractive air links are vital for the island’s long-term social and economic prosperity.

‘The pandemic severely impacted the global aviation industry, and the Isle of Man was no exception.

Since then, government intervention has been necessary to ensure the viability of strategically important routes to and from the island.

‘Whilst this intervention to date has secured a level of connectivity on core routes, a longer-term approach is required to provide similarly stable and secure links weekly on key regional routes all year round.’

He added: ‘Subject to Tynwald support, the ambition of this policy is to enable more informed commercial discussions with airlines and provide much needed surety and security of our air routes on a year round basis, for residents and visitors alike.’