BMI Regional is to begin flying between City of Derry Airport and London Stansted with the assistance of a £3.8m grant from the Department of Transport.
The service will begin on Tuesday 2 May, replacing Ryanair's Stansted service. The airline will operate two return flights each day, except for Saturdays which will have one flight each way. This is the first-ever UK government backing for a public service obligation (PSO) air route in Northern Ireland. The Department for Transport provides funding for such routes if the service is "vital for the economic and social development of the region". It maintains regional airport links through a 'connectivity fund', which can be used to protect important air connections to London which may otherwise be lost. Secretary of State James Brokenshire said: "The UK government has worked closely with Derry City and Strabane District Council to protect this important route to City of Derry Airport. "£3.8m of UK government funding will allow 13 return flights to connect Londonderry to London every week. "The new service will allow business passengers to get to central London and complete a full day's work before returning home."
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Low-cost carrier Norwegian Air is to begin two new flights between Northern Ireland and the United States.
Services will operate five times a week, from July, between Belfast International and airports in the New York and Boston areas. Aldergrove said it was "the best possible boost for Northern Ireland". It has been working to find a replacement for United Airlines, which ended its daily New York service in January. United had claimed the Belfast-Newark route was not profitable enough. Norwegian Air will fly to Stewart International Airport, about 70 miles from New York, and TF Green Airport, 60 miles from Boston. Norewgian will use its new Boeing 737 MAX Aircraft to operate this route. |
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