Flybe routes and jobs - announcement within next fortnight

It should be clear within the next fortnight which Flybe air routes to and from the Island will continue.

The Infrastructure Minister says government is talking to alternative airlines should Flybe pull out of a number of services.

Its Island base is due to close next spring with the loss of 49 jobs and certain routes may also be dropped, including to Liverpool for which government pays £1.6 million annually to provide a hospital patient transfer service.

David Cretney says an alternative suggestion – aimed at saving jobs - has also been explored.