Air Services Dail Éireann — 2026-04-30 ============================================================ Darragh O'Brien (FF), Dublin Fingal East I agree with the Deputy that this is a critical route. I am happy to provide him with an update. It was a programme for Government commitment, as the Deputy knows, to re-establish the route. I thank the Deputy for his continued interest in this matter. We are committed to supporting vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland where people can live, work and connect. The Deputy has made that point validly with regard to the north west. Many stakeholders have recognised that the north west is an area that is relatively under-served by transport connectivity. We are improving that but it needs to be improved further. Government-funded PSO air services previously operated on this route for a ten-year period up until 2011. In this context, and in line with our objectives on building a shared island, the Government committed to engage with all relevant stakeholders to establish air connectivity between Dublin and Derry city airports. I met with officials in the City of Derry Airport and Derry Chamber as well as with the Deputy’s colleagues in Donegal County Council. Last year, we decided that, pending progress on the A5 motorway upgrade, preparatory work to reintroduce the PSO air service to establish air connectivity between Dublin and Derry airports in 2026 would be progressed. We are fully committed to the reintroduction of a PSO service on this route, which will be funded through the shared island fund. As announced in budget 2026, the Government has doubled the resources available under this fund out to 2035. My officials are progressing the preparatory work necessary to establish this service. That work is now well advanced. On 22 December 2025, we published a market-sounding survey. Views of stakeholders, including those who might avail of the service, were sought on the service. It is important we do that. This survey includes the specifications that would potentially best meet the requirements of the PSO air service, such as aircraft type, capacity and frequency of services. Engagement on this survey was positive. Over 700 responses were received, confirming the interest and recognised benefits of the PSO air service for stakeholders in Derry and the wider north-west region. All things being equal, it is expected that following a two-month tender procedure, a contract will be awarded for the commencement of services this October. This will align with the winter 2026 airline scheduling season. We are looking forward to it. It is on track. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-04-30/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:49+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-04-30