Since Monday 16th October the dedicated aircraft used to convey mail between the UK and the Isle of Man ceased.
Since Monday 16th October the dedicated aircraft used to convey mail between the UK and the Isle of Man ceased. Since this date mail has been delivered to and dispatched from the Island using existing ferry and road freight arrangements.
Below there are links to press releases which have been issued, some Frequently Asked Questions and information about changes to service provision
A UK Guaranteed Next Day Service To Be Maintained For Priority Mail – Issued Tuesday 29th August 2023
Isle of Man Post Office Confirms Changes to UK Mail Transfer Arrangements & Introduction of New Tariffs – Issued Tuesday 12th September 2023
Mail will cease to be delivered to and dispatched from the Island by aircraft from Monday 16th October.
In May 2023, Royal Mail published a consultation (and subsequently obtained approval) proposing changes to remove the Crown Dependencies (IOM and Channel Isles) from the ‘UK Postal Scheme’. This had the effect of removing the Isle of Man outside of their regulated delivery areas requiring a next day delivery service.
Royal Mail has also previously published details of its ‘Steps to Zero’ ambition to be carbon neutral by 2040. As part of this initiative, in March they announced their intention to switch from using over 20 daily UK network flights to transport mail, replacing these (in the main) by road and rail.
These events combined to make the removal of the aircraft to the Isle of Man a key project for Royal Mail, and Since the consultation outcome, IOMPO has been working with Royal Mail to mutually agree how the change will be implemented.
Information gathered during residential and commercial surveys, carried out over the last nine months has been used to ensure that any changes necessitated by the aircraft removal continue to meet our customers’ needs.
Some tariffs will reduce from the implementation date. These can be viewed in our price guide which will be available shortly. Thereafter a detailed review will follow ahead of our annual January tariff changes.
Transporting mail by sea means that it will take an additional day to connect with RM’s next day delivery network, therefore standard mail sent to the UK will take a minimum of two business days for delivery. The same will apply to mail coming to the Island from the UK.
Service |
Service provision after 16th October |
Insurance levels after 16th October |
| Standard mail including Signed For | Minimum two day service | Standard - £20 (unchanged) Signed For - £20 |
| Special Delivery (now a two day service) | Guaranteed within two days by 5:30pm. | UK insurance levels now £750, £1000, £2500 |
| Parcelforce express10 | No longer available | N/A |
| Parcelforce express24 | No longer available | N/A |
| Parcelforce express48 | Within two working days by close of business (unchanged) | Up to £100 (unchanged) |
Isle of Man Post Office (IOMPO) will continue to offer a UK guaranteed next day service. This will be available to commercial customers using our ‘Click and Dispatch’ platform, and to residential customers at Post Office Headquarters in Braddan. Mailroom Franking customers will be contacted with details of how to send items guaranteed next day, using our convenient Mailroom Franking Service in due course.
IOMPO will introduce a Tracked 48 service, initially for commercial customers through our Click and Dispatch platform and Mailroom Franking. This service will provide tracking to the delivery point and insurance of up to £150 per item.
It is hoped to be able to make this service available to residential customers at a future date.
In the 12 months to the end of July the Steam Packet reported a reliability 99.2%, and while it is inevitable when living on an island that bad weather can disrupt service, contingency planning has been undertaken to prepare IOMPO to recover quickly after any disruption.
Whilst we are reviewing the items which can and can’t be sent via sea, we will continue to adhere to and apply the Civil Aviation Authority dangerous goods regulations. We will provide notice of any changes to ‘safe to send’ items in due course.
The ‘Safe to Fly’ rules will continue to apply to all items sent via the Special Delivery Next Day service.
|
|
Customer Group |
Where to access |
For sending to: |
Delivery Guarantees |
Tracking |
Signature on Delivery |
Insurance and/or Compensation |
Dispatch Method |
Special Delivery - Next Day |
Residential |
Post Office Headquarters (POHQ) |
IOM, UK, Guernsey (postcode exclusions apply) |
9am or 1pm |
Yes |
Yes |
IOM - £50 |
Scheduled Airline |
|
Commercial |
POHQ, Click and Dispatch (C&D), Business Solutions Franking |
IOM, UK (postcode exclusions apply) |
9am or 1pm |
Yes |
Yes |
IOM - £50 |
Scheduled Airline |
|
Tracked48 |
Residential |
N/A but hope to make available at a future date. |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Sea and Road Freight |
|
Commercial |
C&D, Business Solutions Franking |
UK |
No |
Yes | No |
£150 |
Sea and Road Freight |
|
Special Delivery – Two day |
Residential |
Post Office Counters |
UK, Guernsey (postcode exclusions apply) |
Two day by 17:30 |
Yes |
Yes |
£750, £1000, £2500 |
Sea and Road Freight |
|
Commercial |
Post Office Counters, C&D, Business Solutions Franking, Franking Meter, Docket |
UK, Guernsey (postcode exclusions apply) |
Two day by 17:30 |
Yes |
Yes |
£750, £1000, £2500 |
Sea and Road Freight |
|
Signed For |
Residential |
Post Office Counters |
IOM, UK, CI |
No |
No |
Yes |
£20 |
Sea and Road Freight |
|
Commercial |
Post Office Counters, C&D, Business Solutions Franking, Franking Meter, Docket |
IOM, UK, CI |
No |
No |
Yes |
£20 |
Sea and Road Freight |
|
Standard Mail |
Residential |
Post Office Counters, Kiosks |
IOM, UK, CI |
No |
No |
No |
£20 |
Sea and Road Freight |
|
Commercial |
Post Office Counters, Kiosks, C&D, Business Solutions Franking, Franking Meter, Docket |
IOM, UK, CI |
No |
No |
No |
£20 |
Sea and Road Freight |
Parcelforce express10 and express24 will not longer be available from Monday 16th October.
|
|
Customer Group |
Where to access |
For sending to: |
Delivery Guarantees |
Tracking |
Signature on Delivery |
Insurance and/or Compensation |
Dispatch Method |
Parcelforce express48 |
Residential |
Post Office Counters |
IOM, UK (postcode exclusions apply) |
Two working days by close of business |
Yes |
Yes |
£100 |
Sea and Road Freight |
|
Commercial |
Post Office Counters, C&D, Business Solutions Franking, Franking Meter, Docket |
IOM, UK (postcode exclusions apply) |
Two working days by close of business |
Yes |
Yes |
£100 |
Sea and Road Freight |