Taoiseach Micheál Martin tells Mary Lou McDonald he is ‘anxious’ to fund Dublin flight out of Derry

Speaking in the Dáil on Wednesday he said he has raised the matter with the Transport Minister Eamon Ryan.

He was asked about funding for the north west air hub by the Leader of the Opposition Mary Lou McDonald.

“The Taoiseach met with a cross-party delegation of councillors from Donegal, Derry and Strabane earlier this year,” said the Sinn Féin President, adding.

“During that meeting, the issue of the funding for City of Derry Airport was put to him. Some 40 per cent of passengers who use Derry Airport are from County Donegal, unsurprisingly. It has connections to London, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow and other places.

“Reopening the Derry to Dublin air route would create enormous opportunities for the north-west. At that meeting, the Taoiseach agreed to engage further with the Minister for Transport on these matters and noted the Government's interest in working with the aviation authorities and airlines to get this service going. What progress has been made on that matter?” she asked.

The Taoiseach replied: “Regarding the north west, I have spoken to the Minister for Transport on this matter. I am anxious for that to happen, but it is in the transport domain right now.”

Deputy Martin provided a general update on proposals to further develop transport links to Derry and Donegal, including major road developments and potential rail links.

"Regarding the rail strategy, east-west connectivity is a big issue because the A5 has been caught in a lot of planning issues, public inquiries and so on. Then there is the rail issue.

"The largest number of submissions on rail came from the north west. The all-island rail strategy, funded by the Minister and the shared island fund, is nearing completion.

"We need an Executive back up and running for it to be published and acted on. It would help enormously with long-term connectivity for a high volume of numbers if we could get that off the ground,” said the Taoiseach.