VLM Airlines, one of the two carriers flying between the Isle of Man and London City, has announced that it will not be restarting its flights from the Isle of Man in September as originally planned.
The airline withdrew its service to London City for the summer holiday period as much of the regular traffic were business passengers, but as the economic downturn continues to bite, especially in the finance sector, it has decided not to reinstate the route.
Aer Arann will continue to provide its three time daily service to London City and arrangements are in place for passengers booked with VLM to be transferred to Aer Arann flights.
VLM Airlines will contact all of its booked passengers and either offer them a full refund or advise them of the equivalent Aer Arann flight and, if required, make the arrangements for the rebooking at no additional cost to the passenger.
Antwerp-based VLM Airlines has operated flights between the Island and London City since November 2005 and since then has carried almost 74,000 passengers.
Its five times weekly schedule has been popular with business passengers, with the airline building up a reputation for good service and punctual reliability.
Ann Reynolds, Airport Director, said, "I am sorry to see the withdrawal of VLM Airlines as it has served us and the Island community very well over the last four years or so, and has built up a solid core of loyal passengers.
"The current recession, as with all carriers, has had an impact upon the VLM Airlines’ Isle of Man operation and I fully understand the reasons for it having to cease operating this service."
The new Aer Arann London City operation, launched in January this year, has also had some impact on traffic levels for VLM Airlines in recent months.
Overall the route has performed well, with combined volumes flown by both Aer Arann and VLM Airlines exceeding 6,000 passengers per month and June seeing a 370% increase in numbers over June 2008.
Despite the withdrawal of VLM Airlines, it is expected that passengers on the route will continue to grow.
Certainly, as the VLM Airlines flight timings have been effectively mirrored by the Aer Arann schedule, there should be very little inconvenience experienced by air travelers as a result of the ceasing of the VLM Airlines flights.
Andrew Kelly, Arann's Director of Corporate Affairs, comments, "We are continuing with our three-times-a-day service, which has been extremely successful since it launched.
"Whereas all traffic from the Isle of Man and UK, for all airlines, has been down in recent months, the Isle of Man to London market is up; it has bucked the trend.
"So, we'll be continuing our service and expect to see continued growth."
Minister for Transport David Anderson MHK, comments, "Whilst I am disappointed to learn of VLM Airlines’ withdrawal of its London City flights, it is reassuring to see that the route – vital to the Island’s economy – continues to grow with Aer Arann.
"I am sure that as the economic situation improves, traffic on the route will strengthen, but I would like to thank VLM Airlines for its support in recent years and wish the it well for the future."
