Ulster Unionist Peer Lord Empey and the Party’s MEP Jim Nicholson have made further progress in the campaign to ensure that there is a long term guarantee that there will be access for flights from Belfast to London Heathrow, which is the UK's principal hub airport.
Lord Empey said:
“'In Brussels Ulster Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson tabled a number of amendments at the EU Parliament's Transport Committee and this week he had two of these accepted. These amendments to a Commission proposal on airport slots and related matters, added an important and relevant clause as follows; ''In addition, it is important that access to hub airports should be maintained where such routes are essential to the economy of that region.”
This is exactly what the Ulster Unionist Party wanted to achieve in Brussels, where the EU Parliament has co-decision making powers with the Commission and the full European Parliament will vote on these proposals next month.”
Lord Empey continued:
In concert with Jim Nicholson’s tremendous efforts in Brussels, I shall continue my campaign at Westminster to secure the passage of Airports (Amendment) Bill 2012 as it moves to its Second Reading debate this afternoon. The Bill would give the UK Government powers to intervene if a region was cut off from the national hub airport at Heathrow.
In order to succeed we need the law changed in Brussels as well as at Westminster and I can assure the people of Northern Ireland that Jim Nicholson and I will continue to work well into next year to achieve a positive outcome for Northern Ireland.”