Royal Mail have announced that airmail will be replaced by a ferry service.

Royal Mail recently implemented changes to its UK postal scheme which saw it no longer required to deliver next day mail between the UK and the Isle of Man.

These modifications were accompanied by Royal Mail’s intention to cease operations of their dedicated mail aircraft, currently used to convey mail to and from the island, in favour of extending ferry and road freight services.

Prior to making this shift, Royal Mail were committed to engaging in discussions with the Isle of Man Post Office (IOMPO) about the change.

A spokesperson from IOMPO said: ‘Since Royal Mail’s announcement, IOMPO have sought to understand its customer preferences and needs, drawing on recent comprehensive surveys of both residential and business customers.

‘Notably, feedback from over 3,700 residential respondents indicated that a delivery window of two-plus days for UK standard mail was deemed reasonable. Likewise, among 115 business respondents, 79% considered a delivery time of two days or more for UK standard mail as reasonable.

‘These surveys also highlighted the importance of tracked and guaranteed mail, with 88% of businesses viewing tracked mail as essential or important, and 68% emphasising the significance of guaranteed next day delivery for their business mail.

‘An additional online survey aimed at businesses garnered 102 responses and revealed that 73% of respondents deemed maintaining a UK next-day guarantee service as critical.’

Simon Kneen, the chief executive of the IOMPO, commented: ‘Our research demonstrated that the vast majority of our customers would not be affected by the transition from aircraft to ferry, and therefore our primary focus was to find solutions for those who might be more impacted by the change.

‘Aligned with Isle of Man Governments net-zero aspirations, the shift from a dedicated aircraft to the existing ferry and road freight systems was projected to reduce CO2 emissions by over 600 tonnes annually.

‘The data collected played a pivotal role in directing our efforts to minimise disruption arising from the discontinuation of the aircraft service. We extend our gratitude to all respondents for their time and perspectives.'