Part of Oral Answers to Questions – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 2:15 pm on 19 March 2013.
The Member knows, as does the House, that better air access directly into Northern Ireland is a continual focus of mine. The abolition of air passenger duty (APD) on direct long-haul flights has made us a viable option for some destinations in which we may not otherwise have been able to compete.
I am spending a lot of my time working with Tourism Ireland, Belfast International Airport and others to maximise the opportunity presented by the elimination of direct long-haul APD and attract new long-haul services. Direct connectivity would hugely increase the number of tourists who come directly to Northern Ireland, which would be all to the good of the sector.