Stansted flight gone but £7m investment in Derry Airport
Airport says loss of Ryanair flights is ‘disappointing’ but it hopes to secure new London route soon
The future of City of Derry Airport looks somewhat brighter this week with the NI Executive yesterday announcing a new £7 million ‘support funding package’.
The financial boost comes less than a week after Ryanair signalled its intention to axe the London-Stansted and Faro routes while also downgrading the Liverpool service to just two flights per week.
Airport officials said the £7m announcement followed days of “high level talks and negotiations between the airport and Derry City and Strabane District Council with the deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness to help secure the future of the airport.”
Airport chairman Roy Devine says the funding package is great news for the airport and a welcome boost for the wider North West region.
“The funding package is hugely significant in allowing us to continue with the positive work we are doing in relation to securing new routes and in identifying new carriers, as well as advancing with our plans for developing our infrastructure.”
City of Derry Airport says it is working ‘proactively’ to find a new provider for a London service in the wake of Ryanair’s departure and hopes to secure Public Service Obligation [PSO] funding to operate a direct daily route to the English capital.
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