Ronaldsway additions absolutely essential, says Minister

David Cretney has strongly reiterated the necessity for the new baggage handling system and security equipment at the airport.

The Infrastructure Minister was providing supplementary answers to questions directed at him in this week’s House of Keys. 

Mr Cretney said that, like all other crown dependencies, the Isle of Man the UK security regulations to allow the aircraft operations here to be classified as UK ‘domestic’, much to the benefit of passengers and airlines alike. 

He added that an instruction in September from the UK said it would not allow standard-one equipment to be used at airports beyond September 1 this year. 

The minister reacted firmly to the suggestion by Ramsey MHK Leonard Singer that the department ‘needlessly cost the taxpayer several hundred thousand pounds by rushing the installation’. 

David Cretney said this was simply not the case and there was no option but to upgrade the current facilities immediately. 

He also said the project would start ahead of schedule, prompted by an early delivery of the new x-ray machines.