Committee inquire into an air transport strategy for Northern Ireland

Information released by the NI Chamber of Commerce and BAA on 14 February 2012 stated that:

• One in ten jobs in Northern Ireland depend on foreign investment, and half of those companies can only reach their home market through a hub airport;
  
• Aviation supports £1bn of exports from Northern Ireland;
  
• Foreign tourists spend £195m a year in Northern Ireland and account for 360,000 visits – 150,000 of whom arrive by air; and
  
• Northern Ireland benefits directly from having a global hub in Britain, with Heathrow directly supporting 1,000 tourism jobs and 900 airport jobs in Northern Ireland.

The Committee welcomes submissions on all aspects of the matter, in particular:

• the implications of current air links for Northern Ireland, specifically the  economy;
• regional and international connectivity;
• the lack of public transport links to, and between, Belfast International, Belfast City and City of Derry airports;
• the implications for Northern Ireland of the Civil Aviation Bill;
• the implications of the proposed takeover of BMI by IAG; and
• tax policy.
  

The Committee invites any individual or organisation with an interest in this matter to submit written evidence in accordance with the guidelines stated below. Each submission should:

• Be no more than 3,000 words in length;
• Have numbered paragraphs; and
• Be in Word format or a rich text format with as little use of colour or logos as possible. Please do not send PDFs.

A copy of the submission should be sent by e-mail to northircom@parliament.uk marked "An air transport strategy for NI" and should arrive by Monday 16 April 2012.

If you wish to submit a paper copy, in addition to the electronic version, it should be sent to:

The Clerk of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
House of Commons
7 Millbank
London
SW1P 3JA