Letters to the island from the UK could be delivered later than now if Royal Mail stops sending them on an aeroplane.

Isle of Man Post Office, which is a separate body from Royal Mail, says it 'acknowledges' the outcome to Royal Mail’s customer consultation on proposed changes to its postal scheme.

The consultation sest out several potential changes to services for all Royal Mail customers, including proposed changes to the definition of 'due date' for the delivery of mail to the Channel Islands and Isle of Man which would enable changes to arrangements to fly mail between these locations and the UK.

The published report confirms that Royal Mail will be introducing the changes it proposed to the UK Post Scheme with effect from August 6.

Meanwhile, Royal Mail continues to have discussions with Isle of Man Post Office regarding the definition of ‘due date’ and flights to and from the island as part of its 'steps to zero' environmental plan (which aims for Royal Mail to become a net zero business by 2040). Royal Mail advise they will announce their decision on the flights to and from the Isle of Man in due course.

Simon Kneen, chief executive of Isle of Man Post Office, said: 'Upon commencement of the consultation, the Isle of Man Post Office board approved a project to investigate the impact of potential changes to mail transfer arrangements, and this work stream will report back to the Board once complete.

'While the removal of the mail plane would jointly reduce costs for us and Royal Mail, as well as demonstrate a commitment to minimising the impact on the environment, we need to fully understand what benefits could be achieved, assess financially viable alternative next-day options and importantly, consider the views of our customers, both commercial and residential.'

Following on from the residential customer survey which took place in October and November 2022 which was completed by more than 3,600 respondents, Isle of Man Post Office is looking to capture the views of commercial customers with a short survey which can be completed here.

The survey will close at 5pm on Friday, July 14.