The challenges of travelling on and off island by air and sea were the focus of a lively question and answer session at the Government Conference.

A panel made up of airport director Gary Cobb, commercial director Hannah Lo Boa, airport non executive director Chris Holliday, member for DoI Stu Peters, Enterprise Minster Tim Johnston and Steam Packet managing director Brian Thomson, and later joined by Infrastructure Minister Tim Crookall, fielded a wide range of questions from the audience.

Questions included what’s being done to address the challenges at Ronaldsway, runway closures due to air traffic control staff shortages, airport opening hours, air passenger duty and what improvements are needed to the Sea Terminal in Douglas.

The two-day conference got under way on Tuesday at the Comis Hotel.

Airport director Gary Cobb said it will take two to three years to address the shortage of air traffic controllers.

There are currently 16 air traffic control staff, up from 14 last with the aim to reach 18.

He said: ‘It is probably one of the few places I’ve ever been where air traffic controllers are mocked publicly. We are trying to get these people to stay. To get mocked is quite difficult. Professionally it hurts them.

‘We have seen some leave to go to other airports where they are literally greeted with open arms. Mocking them, calling them out on Facebook does not help, we sometimes drive these people away. We desperately need to keep them.’

Responding to criticism about airport opening hours not being extended to allow flights to get in, Mr Cobb said: ‘The closing time for the airport for the last 15 years has been 8.45pm, that’s the closing time it’s always been. The airport will do extensions past 8.45pm on a best-endeavour basis.’

The airport’s opening hours have been extended for 75 days out of 92 in the last three months, he said.

He said closing later was unlikely to happen without significant investment in terms of recruiting another shift, as it was difficult to get people to work past their contracted hours.

Mr Cobb said air passenger duty, the levy placed by the Manx government on departing passengers, was one of the key reasons why easyJet has dropped its Belfast and Bristol routes. ‘It’s a big impact, However, APD generates income for Treasury,’ he said.

In a presentation earlier, Mr Peters said there had been 55% drop in air cancellations so far this year when compared with the same period last year.

He said while sea passengers figures have now exceeded pre-Covid levels, air passenger numbers have not returned to 2019 levels.

Mr Johnston told the audience that recognising ‘some volatility’ in regional routes, a strategy to support core air routes through long-term intervention - i.e government subsidy - will go to Tynwald this year.

Asked afterwards whether this spelt the end of the open skies policy, he told Media Isle of Man: ‘We need a plan because as things stand the open skies policy that’s been in place for quite a few years isn’t working and we recognise it has become a challenge.’

He said that government had been supporting carriers for several years now - particularly since Covid - and that government was now looking at a ‘long-term plan of subvention’.

Mr Johnston said there were no plans to subsidise easyJet routes as the budget airline had different business model.

Steam Packet boss Mr Thomson agreed with one questioner that the Sea Terminal in Douglas needs to be improved.