Direct long haul flights from Northern Ireland to the US and Middle East are the target of an “unprecedented” government funding scheme designed to encourage airlines to trial long haul routes from the province.
Economy minister Gordon Lyons said officials in his department are working on developing a new Northern Ireland Route Development Scheme (NIRDS) which will provide financial support for new European, transatlantic, and Middle Eastern routes direct to Northern Ireland. The aim is to boost inbound tourism and encourage foreign direct investment.
It follows the successful rollout of the Northern Ireland Domestic Aviation Kickstart Scheme last year which managed to boost domestic connectivity with Great Britiain in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic when the industry had been hit hard by successive lockdowns. Funding, which is offered to airlines, from that scheme mounted to £4.5 million but the minister didn’t reveal how much the new, long haul financial support would reach.
