A passenger says he unwittingly travelled with a passport ‘as a woman’ for five years without ever being challenged.

The man was so concerned that he has submitted a Freedom of Information (FoI) request to the Department For Enterprise (DfE) over what he describes as ‘serious security failings’.

In the FoI he says: ‘Unknown to myself I have been travelling under a passport as a woman as per the gender in my passport and not a male.

‘Not once has this been picked up in over five years travelling through Ronaldsway Airport and points to serious and numerous failings on many different occasions, where my passport has clearly not been looked at properly either at the desk or gate.’

He asked the DfE about what checks the Isle of Man Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) take in regards passengers security details being properly checked by third-party agents. He also asks that, in light of his experience, what measures have the CAA brought in to prevent further security concerns at Ronaldsway Airport.

The man adds that he also wishes to discuss with UK Border Force.

In the DfE response, the department says there is no requirement to show a passport as a form of ID.

It says: ‘There is no specific requirement under Isle of Man (or UK) civil aviation security legislation for the passenger to show a passport, and it is for the airline to determine what forms of ID are acceptable to it.

‘Photo ID is only required by Isle of Man (and UK) civil aviation security legislation when checking in hold baggage.

‘Air carriers are to ensure during the boarding process that a passenger who has checked in hold baggage presents a valid boarding card which corresponds to the hold baggage.

‘They must also verify that the person presenting the boarding pass is the same person who checked the baggage in. This is usually done on the air carrier’s behalf by their ground handling agent, who will examine the passenger’s photo ID at check-in and again at the boarding gate.’

The DfE says the airline or handling staff do not need to examine the ID stringently but only ensure the name and photo match the passenger.

It says: ‘When checking the photo ID, the airline or handling agent need only compare the passenger’s name and likeness, as the check is simply to ensure that the person boarding the aircraft is the same person who checked the baggage in.

‘UK Civil Aviation Authority guidance (as adopted by the IoM CAA) issued to industry regarding gender identity states that it does not matter if a person’s current gender presentation is not the same as that given on the travel documentation.

‘For this reason, it is unlikely that any airline or handling agent staff would comment on the gender details specified in your passport.’