Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the number of commercial long haul (a) routes and (b) flights operating from airports in Northern Ireland.

Through their work to negotiate, update and enforce the UK’s extensive portfolio of bilateral and multilateral “Air Services Agreements” my officials seek to: maximise business opportunities and ensure a level playing field for our airlines and airports; minimise administrative and cost burdens for industry; and remove barriers to operational and commercial flexibility.

This approach helps to deliver international connectivity, choice and value for money, benefitting businesses and consumers. The rights secured by my officials enable services to and from airports throughout the UK, but whether to exercise those rights is, of course, a commercial decision for airlines.