SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said the City of Derry Airport cannot be another casualty of the political failure at Stormont.
The SDLP leader said: “The delay to investment at the airport is just one more casualty of political failure.
“Last year to much fanfare the Executive announced a £7 million funding package to help attract new airlines and improve infrastructure.
“However, this money has not been forthcoming due to the collapse of the power-sharing government.
“Today at a meeting with an SDLP delegation, the Department confirmed that if a local budget had been in place, further route development at the airport could have been significantly progressed.
“This is totally unacceptable.
“City of Derry Airport desperately needs this funding and should not be held back due to the political deadlock.
“The failure of Sinn Fein’s former Finance Minister Máirtín Ó Muilleoir in the last Assembly to set a budget has already left not only our airport but our public services at crisis point.
“After 10 years of government together the DUP and Sinn Fein utterly failed to deliver on economic rights or language rights, now is the opportunity for them to prove if they are either up for the job or they are not.
“It’s time to get back to work. Our airport, our health service and our schools cannot pay the price for political failure,” added the Foyle MLA.
