Ronaldsway Airport facing continued disruption after staff shortages in the Isle of Man

There have been several delays and cancellations to and from the airport. Credit: ITV Granada Reports

Ronaldsway Airport on the Isle of Man is facing disruption after a staff shortage of traffic controllers.

This comes after several delays and cancellations to and from the airport in recent weeks.

The runway at Ronaldsway is closed periodically between:

  • 08:30 - 09:05

  • 11:00 - 11:35

  • 13:30 - 14:15

  • 16:00 - 16:35

  • 18:30 - 19:15

The airport has said the closures are required to meet the minimum requirements for ATCO rest periods whilst maximising training availability.

On their Facebook, they said: "We've needed short-term closures for some time because of the numbers of qualified staff available, but recently this number has changed again."

"Training air traffic controllers takes a long time; 3-4 years for student controllers with no air traffic control (ATC) background and even controllers relocating from other airports can take 12-18 months or more depending on their experience."

However, they say they hope that the situation will improve.

"We've already welcomed one experienced controller who is busy training and we hope to have another in the Autumn...we'll also be welcoming 3 new student air traffic controllers," they said.

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