Ronaldsway continues to operate under a ‘special attention’ regulatory enforcement status.
That status was first imposed by the Isle of Man Civil Aviation Authority in May last year.
DoI Minister Dr Michelle Haywood told Tynwald that the airport’s Air Traffic Services Unit was separately placed under this status in August 2025, following a July oversight audit.
She cited “ongoing and well documented staffing challenges, in addition to some operational limitations and long term resilience issues” as the primary reasons.
Action Plan
Dr Haywood said that a comprehensive action plan has been submitted by the airport to the IOM CAA to address the issues.
She emphasised that “the airport is safe and operational,” saying that the matters are “mainly management and resilience questions”.
Responding to a question from Jason Moorhouse, the minister could not provide a fixed timetable for the status to be lifted, noting that some actions “will last for years.”
In a clarification on the regulatory terminology, Chris Thomas was told that ‘Special Attention’ is “a lesser intervention than being on notice,” confirming the airport’s regulatory status had improved since 2022.
Onchan MHK Julie Edge also asked how often a full assessment is conducted by the UK CAA, with Dr Haywood saying that she did not have the audit dates but would “ask the airport to provide information about CAA involvement”.