Northern airport used €1.86m of public money to promote Ryanair

A PUBLICLY owned airport handed over at least £1.25 million (€1.86m) of ratepayers’ money to promote airline giant Ryanair, it was revealed yesterday.

The massive subvention by City of Derry Airport to Europe’s largest low-cost carrier was hidden in a secret deal.

Airport owner Derry City Council fought for two years against a Freedom of Information request to unveil its controversial arrangements with the airline.

The deal also reveals free landing, navigation, parking, passenger fee and security were all provided to Ryanair.

Council chief executive Anthony McGurk has already admitted the airport was costing ratepayers in the region of £1.3m a year and that Derry householders pay among the highest rates in the North.

In the deal struck in 1999, the council agreed to a guaranteed payment of £250,000 a year to promote Ryanair’s route from Derry to London.

The ratepayers’ cash — also used for “operations consultancy” — was to be paid as half-yearly instalments in advance over five years.

Council chiefs spent £14,000 of public money on legal costs keeping the details under wraps since being asked in January 2005 how much Ryanair was paying for use of the ratepayer-funded airport.

They argued disclosure of the deal would risk prejudicing its commercial interests and the economic interests of the region.

But the Information Commissioner ruled in February last after a year-long examination of the arguments the details must be disclosed.

The council fought the decision in an appeal to the Information Tribunal which sat in the North for the first time in October to hear the appeal.

In a 30-page ruling, the tribunal dismissed the appeal and gave the council 30 days from December 11 to disclose the deal.

It said Freedom of Information Act exemptions claimed by the council did not apply and disagreed the local authority would be vulnerable to a claim for breach of confidence.

The council had until next month to appeal this decision to the High Court on a point of law but decided on Tuesday of this week not to spend any more money fighting the case.