With no fanfare at all, direct flights have relaunched from Ronaldsway to Heathrow and Manchester.

But with the border closed you won’t be able to book a return flight unless you fall in one of the few exempt categories of passenger.

BA Cityflyer is operating to Heathrow while London City is closed.

The Manchester route is operated by Loganair, which has already taken over Liverpool services formerly flown by Flybe, now in administration.Manchester flights depart at 2.20pm six days a week (not Saturdays) with tickets priced at £59.63.Return flights, should you be allowed to board them, cost £50.50.The only exceptions to the island's border ban on all arrivals is a very limited group of people deemed necessary for critical national infrastructure or for the preservation of human life.Even these will need prior written approval before they are allowed to travel.Direct flights to Heathrow returned after a gap of two decades in April last year but the Flybe service ended after just one season.Ronaldsway was closed this morning except for emergency flights and today's 2.20pm Loganair flight to Manchester was cancelled.