The broken car parking barriers at Ronaldsway Airport will be replaced by a mobile phone application (App) based payment system, the Infrastructure Minister has confirmed.

Tim Crookall MHK said: ‘The issue we’ve got with the barriers of course is when you pay with the cash machines, it’s all on the round pound coins, and those machines are not available anymore, so any new machinery has got to be brand new, that takes the new English pound coin.’

It comes as the Department of Infrastructure has seen a loss of around £50,000 a month as a result of the broken barriers.

The barriers were in operation only between August and November last year.

They were up from April 2020 to July 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic and to facilitate the vaccine hub based at the airport from January to July 2021.

The DoI collected a total of £1,154 in parking fees in 2021, compared to the first three months of 2020 when the car parks brought in more than £127,000.

Mr Crookall said: ‘The barriers will be going.

‘We’re looking at a completely new system, an App system, like they do across in most places now to make it easier, you just use your mobile phone.

‘So basically, you’ll get the App up, put your card number in, and then just say when you’re clocking in, when you have to clock out, and when you go it gives you 24 hours to pay like you do across.

‘It would also give you that opportunity if you’re delayed or anything like that you can extend it and all sorts of things.’

Mr Crookall confirmed at least one cash machine option would be available, as ‘not everybody uses mobile apps, so we’ll have to cater for that as well’.

The aim is for the machines to be installed in the next four to six weeks.