Northern Ireland airports welcome new £4.5m air connectivity scheme

A new £4.5 million support scheme to boost air connectivity between Northern Ireland and Great Britain has been welcomed by airport bosses here.

he NI Domestic Aviation Kickstart Scheme (NIDAKS) was announced earlier this year by former minister Dianne Dodds, with the funds aimed at maintaining domestic air connectivity between the three local airports and Great Britain.

Airports in Northern Ireland have been hit hard over the past year, with the collapse of Flybe last March and in recent weeks the regional carrier Stobart Air being liquidated after failing to find a buyer.

Graham Keddie, from Belfast International Airport, said the scheme will help support airlines to deliver continuing routes across the UK from Northern Ireland.

“This initiative is to be warmly welcomed by all in the aviation sector as it will provide much needed support to our airlines that have been devastated by the impact of Covid.

“We have been working with the Minister, his predecessor and the Department for many months in the development of the NIDAKS scheme, along with the airlines, and we know it will have a positive impact in rebuilding our airlines and connectivity to the rest of the world,” he said.

“This announcement demonstrates the value of having a local Executive in place that listens to and engages with the business community. NIDAKS will help keep us connected, it will help families and businesses keep connected and it will help rebuild our economy.”

Recently, British Airways announced it will fly from Belfast City Airport to Exeter, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford and Newquay following the collapse of airline Stobart Air, while easyJet is to launch three new domestic routes from Belfast’s two airports.

Brian Ambrose from Belfast City Airport added: “Throughout the pandemic, the Northern Ireland Executive recognised the importance of our airports as key infrastructure and provided welcome financial support so we could hit the ground running when the time was right.

“Today’s announcement provides much needed assistance to our partner airlines in establishing and maintaining key routes that are vital to the wellbeing of our economy.”

Steve Frazer from City of Derry Airport also welcomed the support package, adding that he hoped to “continue to engage...regarding connectivity to the North West”.

The Economy Minister Paul Frew said the scheme will be administered by Invest Northern Ireland on behalf of the Department for the Economy, with financial assistance is time bound between June 1 and October 31 2021.

“This improved connectivity will stimulate inbound tourism, as well as both inward and outward business travel. In turn we hope to see a positive impact on local hotels, restaurants and other hospitality and tourism businesses, as the sector here continues to get back on its feet,” he said.

“Furthermore, enhancing our links with Great Britain can only help make Northern Ireland even more attractive as a place to invest.”