Blue Islands to trial direct flights to Isle of Man

Wednesday 04 October 2023

Blue Islands has announced it will be trialling direct flights to the Isle of Man for five weeks, with a view to introducing the service early next year if it proves successful.

The airline has said that the trial, which will see flights operate Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 November until 7 December, follows "engagement with the local business community", while Jersey Finance has also voiced its support for the move.

The chief executive of Blue Islands, Rob Veron, said that if the trial was successful, a full scheduled service could be launched "early in 2024".

“We’re excited to trial direct flights to the Isle of Man. Through surveys and discussions with key businesses in each island we have some insights into the likely market requirement. The next stage in assessing the viability of such services is this five-week trial," he explained.

Pictured: The trial will run for five weeks.

“Blue Islands is committed to providing services that bring strategic benefit to the islands. We’re launching this trial with a number of cornerstone corporate partners, who have each taken an advance allocation of seats, enabling us to explore the longer-term viability of a year-round service.

"We thank everyone that has provided feedback and to the organisations that have committed to purchase seats in advance; this is a unique collaboration that ensures the viability of the trial which we hope will enable a longer term scheduled service," he added.

Joe Moynihan, the Chief Executive of Jersey Finance, said that numerous Jersey firms have "well-established connections with the Isle of Man" and that improved connectivity could benefit the Island.

"We keenly await the results of this trial into the route’s long-term viability," he added.

Matt Thomas, Ports of Jersey CEO, said: "We're delighted to be working with Blue Islands to launch an Isle of Man service, providing valuable connectivity to link our two islands.

"We really appreciate the input from key stakeholders who have explained how valuable this service would be to our business community and look forward to the trial being successful."