Good news indeed that the airport closure caused by the lack of air traffic controllers reduces from five times to two a day.

And we all look forward to the time (October we have been told), when closures for air traffic control tea breaks will no longer be necessary.

But it seems that the government has forgotten to inform us of a more fundamental longer-lasting problem, namely that the current renovation at the airport will not improve the much-needed landing capability for jet aircraft.

The current landing system is ‘neolithic’, according to an exasperated EasyJet pilot.

He had, not for the first time, arrived overhead Ronaldsway from Gatwick but had been again denied a landing because of low clouds at Ronaldsway.

Unbelievably the opportunity to upgrade the landing system to allow jet aircraft to land safely under a lower cloud base than is possible under the old current system has been ignored. So, even after renovation, the old ‘neolithic’ system will continue.

This means that, given our Manx weather, uncertainty about landing times or even being allowed to land here at all, will continue.

For certain this major lack of reliability will be to the considerable benefit of our competitors, enormously frustrate Isle of Man business prospects, tourist potential and anybody who had simply hoped for more reliable flights to and from the island.

Worse still, it will have undoubtedly occurred to Easyjet

that the significant expense incurred by frustrated landing at Ronaldsway can easily be avoided by dropping the Isle of man service altogether.

Wouldn’t it be good to hear from the government that they have already taken this obvious concern on board and will shortly be bringing our airport up to scratch, to the benefit of all including the government!

Name and address supplied

This letter was first published in the Isle of Man Examiner of August 1.

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