PASSENGER numbers at Isle of Man Airport tumbled by almost 14 per cent last month due to the bad weather.
And this followed a 5.4 per cent decrease in the numbers in November, again due to the weather conditions.
The snow, ice and plummeting temperatures resulted in a "bleak end to what has been a tought year for the Isle of Man Airport and its air services," a statement issued by the Department of Infrastructure said.
The combined effect of a combination of repetitive extreme weather conditions and the massive and long-lasting impact of the ash cloud in April and May - all with a background of a slower economic recovery in Europe - has resulted in a decrease in passengers for the Airport in 2010 of 5.3 per cent.
Airport director Ann Reynolds said: "At the start of the year, we were predicting a steady improvement of about 5 per cent as the effect of the economic downturn gradually began to abate.
"However, from the beginning of 2010 to its very end, despite one or two months of growth, we have been battling against a succession of unpredictable events which have decimated our original forecasts."
2010 began with freezing weather and snowstorms in January and February and although Ronaldsway remained open few UK airports could state the same.
In April the eruption of the Icelandic volcano resulted in a massive 23.5 per cent fall in monthly passengers and this continued into May with a 14.7 per cent decrease.
Passengers remained cautious about booking flights throughout June and July, and gradually in August, September and October confidence returned and positive increases were at last seen in passenger numbers.
There was every indication that this trend would continue until the massive storms in November, followed by the unseasonal snow which lasted throughout late November and December, causing numbers to plummet once again.
Ann Reynolds added: "The good news is that, despite 2010 being a real struggle, there remains an underlying trend of improvement and we are still looking at a recovery during 2011."
Routes worst hit - both in December and throughout the year - were Manchester and London City with annual decreases of 16,600 and 9,000 passengers respectively.
Almost all routes have been hit to varying degrees, but increases have been seen on the Liverpool, Newcastle and Luton routes and new services to Bristol, Anglesey and Paris.
The optimism for improvement during this year is shared by Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne MHK.
He said: "Whilst, like many airports in the UK and Europe, we still remain cautious about the rate of recovery, we are not only expecting a solid reversal over a poor 2010, but also a moderate 2.8 per cent increase over 2009 levels.
"The summer programme is looking very promising with some routes already scheduled to increase frequencies and our European charter programme expected to be the very best we have ever had.
"This is encouraging news not only for the airport and our airlines, but for the residents and economy of the Island."
