Isle of Man airline ends East Midlands route

The Isle of Man airline Manx2 has announced it is stopping flights from Ronaldsway to East Midlands Airport because of falling passenger numbers.

The route started in March 2008 and initially saw a rise in the number of passengers, the airline said.

But the numbers dropped by 30% in April, despite a fare reduction.

Flights will stop from Sunday 4 July. Anyone due to travel after then can re-book on another service or request a full refund, the company said.

Manx2 chairman Noel Hayes said: "This decline has been partly caused by reduced transfer traffic following Easyjet's complete withdrawal from East Midlands Airport; also bad weather and ash disruptions, and significantly now, the impact of more seats flooding on to the Isle of Man market at a time when passenger numbers are already down."