THE Liberal Vannin Party has said it extends its "heartfelt condolences" to the family and friends of the Manx2.com plane crash victims.

Six people were killed when the flight, operated by Flightline BCN, crashed on its third attempt to land at Cork Airport, Ireland, in fog on Thursday.

The plane had travelled from Belfast.

A statement by the Isle of Man's Liberal Vannin Party said: "The staff and management of Manx2 will be devastated by this tragedy happening to their company, a team that have provided affordable travel to the Manx public within the British Isles for the last decade.

"The people of the Isle of Man are very conscious of the grief caused by an air accident to the next of kin.

"The Winter Hill disaster is still in our memory and those that were lost in that tragedy, like the victims of this tragedy, will never be forgotten.

"Our party hope that the investigation into the cause of this tragedy is conducted with all due haste to ensure that airlines using our name are complying with the highest standards of International regulation.

"Our party also would also like to note our appreciation to the emergency services at Cork Airport for their sterling work in preventing a total loss of life as a result of the air crash."