THERE is still some long-term doubt over Ryanair's future role at the City of Derry Airport now it has
introduced the first of its Boeing 737 800 aircraft on the Derry- London City route.
The new, larger aircraft can carry 189 passengers, but because improvements must be carried out on the runway
at City of Derry, Ryanair is carrying just 140 passengers as a safety precaution.
The airline says this is just a temporary agreement until definite plans for the runway are agreed.
Runway extension talks have been at the centre of dispute in the North West for almost a year now
because a total of 17 homes at Donnybrewer will have to be demolished if the runway is to be extended.
Ryanair is currently City of Derry's biggest airline and it has already reduced its Stansted service to one
per day saying it didn't have enough of the smaller aircraft left to accommodate a higher flight
frequency.
And the Dublin-based airline, Europe's biggest low cost carrier, has warned that it will drop the service
altogether if runway extension work isn't carried out. John Kerr, City of Derry Airport Chairman says this
passenger reducing step is an "exceptional" gesture by Ryanair to retain the London service as the airline
had the choice to withdraw the route altogether, but it didn't.
He continued: "This is a temporary measure while we await a funding decision from the Secretary of State."
Meanwhile, the Secretary of State Paul Murphy said recently that the Government would be seeking
"clarification" before investing millions in a bigger runway.
The extension, if it goes ahead, will cost the Government around £20 million.

BY EMMA DEIGHAN