A man has called for improved security measures at Ronaldsway after no-one noticed his passport says he is a woman.
The person, who contacted the Isle of Man Civil Aviation Administration (IOM CAA), said the oversight during security checks over five years pointed to “serious and numerous failings”.
In his FoI request, the unnamed man demanded to know what measures would be taken “from today to prevent further security concerns”.
In a detailed response, the regulator, said it would not be implementing any new security protocols and that “photo ID is only required by Isle of Man (and UK) civil aviation security legislation when checking in hold baggage”.
The authority explained that the subsequent check at the boarding gate is designed to “ensure that the person boarding the aircraft is the same person who checked the baggage in”.
It further noted that “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”.
Addressing the core issue of the passport’s gender marker not being questioned, the IOM CAA directly quoted adopted UK Civil Aviation Authority guidance.
It said that “it does not matter if a person’s current gender presentation is not the same as that given on the travel documentation.
And added that , for this reason, it is “unlikely that any airline or handling agent staff would comment on the gender details specified in your passport”.