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City of Derry Airport

Over twenty years after its acquisition the airport is beginning to have the impact on the regional economy envisaged by the Council in 1978. The Government's regional development strategy as outlined in the Shaping Our Future report identifies the city as the regional capital of the North West and Derry City Council is determined to develop the region's infrastructure in order to encourage economic development and inward investment.



The City of Derry Airport is being developed as the main gateway to the entire North West region for both business and leisure traffic. The airport is ideally placed to serve not only the city but its natural hinterland in County Derry, North Antrim, Tyrone and Donegal. This cross border dimension has been recognised by both Donegal County Council and the Irish Government who have clearly identified the airport as the principal gateway to the county.



During 1998 and 1999 various safety improvements were undertaken at the airport with funding coming from both the British and Irish governments and Derry City Council. These improvements opened the way for larger aircraft to use the facilities at the airport and major route developments took place in the Summer of 1999 with the arrival of Falcon Holidays in May and Ryanair in July.



Ryanair operates a direct service between the City of Derry Airport and London Stansted. This low cost service has proved to be extremely popular with both business and leisure travelers he impact of this service on passenger throughput has been dramatic growing from 56,000 in 1998 to approximately 200,000 in 2001.



From January 2001 British Airways have operated a twice daily service to Dublin. This route was designated as a Public Service Obligation (PSO) route by the Irish Government, which allows the route to be supported by the Government for at least the next three years. This will allow the airline to build a stable passenger base. The route is proving extremely popular with business travelers who can now fly to Dublin, complete a days business and return the same evening. The service also allows Dublin passengers to complete a day return from Dublin to the North West.



The Dublin route compliments the Glasgow and Manchester services also operated by British Airways.



The London Stansted service has been extremely popular since its introduction and it now carries some 12,000 passengers per month. The twice daily service attracts both business and leisure travelers because of the convenience and the low cost. Discussions are continuing with Ryanair to improve frequency on this route and to introduce new low cost routes.



During the summer months Falcon Holidays provides a package holiday service to Majorca and 2002 sees the first inbound charter to the City of Derry Airport with IT Ireland Tours bringing visitors from Switzerland every week from May to September.



Derry City Council is committed to developing the facilities at the City of Derry Airport in order to ensure a direct air link to the region. The airport, in conjunction with the airlines, will continue to develop routes that can be sustained in the long term. As passengers, both business and leisure, increase their usage of the airport, so further improvements can be made in flight frequency, flight timings and destinations served.



To visit the City of Derry Airport Website click here