Post delayed after technical issue with mail plane

Royal Mail is consulting on the future of postal services

Post leaving the Isle of Man has been delayed after the mail plane developed a technical issue on Monday evening.

The Isle of Man Post Office (IOMPO) said there had been a technical issue with the aircraft meaning "no air mail was able to leave".

However, incoming post had been received and local mail to Manx addresses was not affected.

The disruption comes as Royal Mail is considering replacing the mail plane with ferry transportation and removing a commitment to next day deliveries to the island.

'Reduce costs'

Proposals to change the definition of a due date for mail delivery to the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands have been outlined in a consultation.

Those changes, which would remove the commitment to next day deliveries, are due to come in from 3 August.

The implications of the removal of the aircraft are still being explored with IOMPO and Jersey Post.

An IOMPO spokeswoman said discussions about that change, which would see the delivery time for sending mail to and from the island increase to two days, were in their "very early stages".

Removing the dedicated plane "would provide the opportunity to jointly reduce costs whilst demonstrating a commitment to minimising the impact on the environment", she said.

However, the IOMPO was "seeking the views of businesses using our services" and reviewing previous resident and business surveys ahead of a decision.