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Economy Minister Conor Murphy has today announced funding to protect the continuation of the flights from the City of Derry Airport (CoDA) to London Heathrow.

The route, which is jointly funded by the Department for Transport and the Department for the Economy, provides critical connectivity from the north-west to London.

The funding of £1.018m begins on 1 April 2024 for one year, with airline Loganair set to continue operating 20 return flights a week.

The minister said: “Funding this route between City of Derry Airport and London Heathrow was an early priority for me as Economy Minister.

Economy Minister Conor Murphy and Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd with Steve Frazer, Managing Director, City of Derry Airport, at the announcement of funding to protect the continuation of flights from the airport to London Heathrow. (Picture: Lorcan Doherty)

“The route connects the North West to London which helps thousands of people to travel to work and conduct business. This investment also protects jobs for airport workers and their families.

“I look forward to working with the airport and my colleague, the Minister for Infrastructure, John O’Dowd, to develop CoDA as part of building the North West economy.”

Infrastructure Minister, John O’Dowd, commented: “Our ports and airports play a vital role in our local economy and are important regional drivers of economic growth.

“I am committed to working with the Minister for the Economy to listen to the case brought forward by Derry City and Strabane District Council for support for CoDA, and to working together with the rest of the Executive to identify ways to support our airports.”

Welcoming today’s announcement, Steve Frazer, City of Derry Airport Managing Director, said: “Continuation of this connectivity from City of Derry Airport to London Heathrow is vital for the Northwest region to support our economic growth, improving both our business and tourism opportunities.

“Coupled with the fastest and most convenient access to central London, the route also provides onward connectivity to 119 destinations across 56 countries.

“With this core route now secured thanks to Minister Murphy’s announcement today, improved regional connectivity will help drive our inward investment and growth opportunities across the Northwest.

“We also very much welcome the visit of Minister O’Dowd, and look forward to working with his department to finalise a support package which will ensure the airport continues to contribute to the economic growth of our region for some years to come, something which has not been possible to achieve without Ministers in place.”

Derry to London Heathrow route secured - Murphy