An MHK has questioned whether there is a disconnect between Loganair and the Department of Infrastructure after the minister admitted he had not spoken directly to the airline about its unpublished summer flight schedule.

Middle MHK James Cochrane raised the issue in the House of Keys on Tuesday, asking whether any outstanding matters between Isle of Man Airport and Loganair had prevented the airline from publishing flights beyond March 27, 2027.

Infrastructure Minister Jason Moorhouse told him there were ‘no outstanding matters’ between the airport and the airline.

However, when asked whether he had spoken to Loganair’s senior figures, Mr Moorhouse admitted: ‘Unfortunately, in this case, I have not been able to speak to the key people at Loganair about this specifically.’

He said the Department was eager to see the schedule published because it would allow better planning, adding that he hoped information would be available ‘in the very near future’.

Speaking to Isle of Man Today after the exchange, Mr Cochrane said constituents had been asking why they could not book flights beyond March 27, the end of the winter timetable, with the summer schedule beginning the following day, Easter Sunday.

‘Families want to book Easter and summer trips, and businesses need to plan travel. At the moment they can’t, and the scheduling issue appears to be specific to the Isle of Man,’ he said.

Mr Cochrane said Loganair had pointed to a hold-up at the airport when he contacted the airline around ten days ago, prompting him to question the minister.

He said: ‘There seems to be a gap between how the airline communicate and the Department see this. The Minister has said he hasn’t spoken to Loganair directly, and I’ve encouraged him to do that.’

The MHK said he was concerned the change of season could provide an opportunity for the airline to review its routes, particularly those involving public support. He also referred to easyJet ‘changing hands’ as another reason for concern about the island’s air links. The budget airline has recently been taken over by US private equity firm Apollo Global Management and earlier this month revealed it was looking to axe 50 jobs at its head office.

‘Knowing the flights will be there matters almost as much as the flights themselves,’ he added.

Mr Cochrane said he had also informally sought Enterprise’s view and would raise the matter again in a few weeks if there was no progress.

During Tuesday’s sitting, Douglas East MHK Andy Saunders asked whether the minister could assure travellers there would be no risk to routes after March 2027.

Mr Moorhouse said the airport and department wanted to see more routes and opportunities, adding that they would work to find solutions to any challenges.

He also acknowledged concerns among constituents and business people and pledged to update MHKs when he had more information.

It is understood the Council of Ministers is due to discuss the Loganair situation later this week.