The airport has said that strict worker time laws prevented it staying open to receive an easyJet flight from London on Friday night.

Passengers who contacted Isle of Man Newspapers said that the flight was boarding when the announcement was made, following a day of delays at Gatwick airport due to the drone disturbance which has impacted hundreds of flights.

The flight had been scheduled to take off at 6.15pm, after a delay, it began to board just before 9pm and was due to land at Ronaldsway at about 10.25pm.

However, passengers were then told the flight had been cancelled and they would have to disembark the aircraft.

Two passengers have since told Isle of Man Newspapers that easyJet staff said because the decision had been made by Ronaldsway, they were not entitled to compensation.

A post on Isle of Man Airport Facebook page said: ’We advised that our ATC (air traffic control) staff are governed by strict legal laws when it comes to their working hours.’

With the Christmas travel period so busy, passengers have been left to try and find alternative arrangements, one man who was supposed to pick his wife up from the airport on Friday night said she had now had to find somewhere to stay and travel to Liverpool for a flight on Sunday evening.

While a father who contacted Isle of Man Newspapers said that his daughter can’t get a flight home for two days.

He said: ’After frantically scrambling to get her on another flight, we just about got her on to the next available flight which is late Christmas Eve.

’This is awful and some won’t even be able to make it to the island to see loved ones at Christmas due to this call.’

We have approached the airport and the Department of Infrastructure for further comment.

If you or a family member has been impacted by the cancellation, contact us at [email protected].