Derry firm Airporter will ‘bounce back’

The local company has received a range of support from Danske Bank.

Owned and run by Niall and Jennifer McKeever, Airporter offers bus travel daily between Derry and Belfast International and George Best Belfast City airports.

Established in 1997, the company was carrying up to 160,000 passengers a year to and from the north west on its 18 buses until the government-imposed coronavirus lockdown.

Director of Airporter Niall McKeever said: “We felt a bit like the canary down the mine as we were amongst the first businesses to be hit when flights were cut back, the first to stop services and the first to require assistance.

“Aviation was one of the first sectors to close down but we are hopeful it will also be one of the first to bounce back. We provide an essential link, so when aviation is turned back on our business will come back. There may be less carriers or fewer flights but we are an island so we know flights will return and demand will be there.”

In order to ensure the business could ride out the suspension of its services, they received support from Danske Bank.

Niall added: “We have had a tight partnership with Danske Bank for the last seven years and they have always understood our business model. It’s testament to this strong relationship that the bank has chosen to commit to the future of our business and stand beside us during a difficult time.

“The cocktail of support they have provided gives us comfort that we can ride out the next three to six months and be ready to start up again when the time is right.”