DERRY’S air link with Dublin could be restored; and a second new route to Birmingham is also on the cards, it was announced today.
SDLP MLA Colum Eastwood has welcomed plans to reintroduce Dublin and Birmingham flights from City of Derry Airport.
Mr Eastwood made the comment after start-up grant applications for routes to Dublin and Birmingham were submitted to the British Government’s Regional Air Connectivity Fund.
Among 19 bids being considered is a submission by Isle of Man-based regional carrier Citywing to provide a week-round same day return service from Derry to Dublin from October this year and an application by Flybe to provide a week-day return service to Birmingham from 2016.
“Plans to introduce return flights to Dublin twice daily on weekdays and once daily at weekends, and a weekday daily service to Birmingham are to be warmly welcomed. The cancellation of previous services to Dublin and Birmingham were acutely felt by the many passengers who depended on them,” he said.
“It is hugely important for the regional economy that we continue to grow City of Derry Airport and build air links with other cities. I am hopeful that proposals by Citywing and Flybe to invest in these routes are fully supported by Department of Transport’s Regional Air Connectivity Fund.”
The routes have passed the initial application stage for a share in £56m over three years and will now be subjected to appraisal before final decisions are made by July.
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