Minister welcomes first New York flight to Belfast

The first ever non-stop scheduled air service between New York and Belfast touched down today.

Continental Airlines’ new daily service was given a ministerial welcome at Belfast International Airport by Northern Ireland Enterprise Minister Angela Smith, who greeted the first passengers and saw off the first leaving on the return flight to Newark Airport in New Jersey.

The service, which has been made possible with support from the British government’s Air Route Development programme, will operate seven days a week during the summer months and four days a week in winter.

Tourism chiefs see the new route as crucial to the development of their strategy to draw more American visitors to the province.