The government, through the North-South Ministerial conference, said that the sale would go ahead within 18 months, but Derry City Council's Airport Committee has now indicated no such decision has been finalised.

Councillor Colum Eastwood, chairman of the committee, told the 'Journal': "It's very important to affirm that Derry City Council and the Airport Committee have made no decision to sell the airport.

What we have done is decide to put the airport on a more commercial footing to ensure we have the best possible governance arrangements to do that."

He added that the goal of the committee had long been the removal of the "very substantial financial burden on the rate payers" as well as ensuring the establishment of a commercially viable airport. He said that a "range of options" would be explored in the coming months.

"Any decision on the airport's future will be made by Derry City Council," he added.

A spokesperson for Derry City Council said it was expected that the city authority would have "clarity" on the issue by the end of this year.

He added: "While no final decision has been reached on the final choice for governance reform, Derry City Council has made a commitment to change."

Paul Gosling of the North West Public Sector Review Group suggested it wasn't surprising to have what seemed to be confusion over the way ahead. He said it was "understood" by everybody that the airport would be sold in the 18 month time-frame if a buyer could be found. However public money would have to be spent before any sale.

"Basically there is an agreement across the council that they have to sell it but the problem is that they have to spend a lot of money bringing the airport up to scratch. If they do so, intending to sell, then they can fall foul of EU state aid laws. It's mindful of this legal problem with Europe that the council isn't prepared to formally decide to sell the airport until that work has been completed."