AQW 7493/17-22 Written question to the Minister for the Economy
To ask the Minister for the Economy whether she intends to bring forward an aviation recovery strategy.
Asked by Andrew Muir MLA on 23 September 2020
- Answered
- Written
- Tabled
- 23 September 2020
- Answer due by
- 8 October 2020
- Answered
- 5 October 202012 days after tabling
- Department
- Department for the Economy
- Priority question
- No
Answer
Civil aviation is a reserved matter for the UK Department for Transport (DfT). In late 2018 DfT published a draft UK Aviation 2050 strategy for public consultation, which DfE responded to last year. In January 2020, in response to the collapse of Flybe, DfT announced a Regional Air Connectivity Review.
Both of these, unfortunately, have been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. DfT have recently advised that they intend to publish a UK Aviation Recovery Plan in the autumn, which will identify measures to support aviation in the short to medium term.
The need for, and the content of, an aviation recovery strategy for Northern Ireland will clearly be heavily influenced by the outworkings of these pieces of work from DfT. My Department will continue to engage with DfT to contribute to them, as required.