United Airlines cancels its daily Belfast to New York flight

A row has erupted in Northern Ireland over the cancellation of the province’s only regular flight to the US amid accusations that “unelected bureaucrats in Brussels” refused to approve a £GBP9m subsidy, two-thirds of it from taxpayers, to keep the route flying. United said Friday it would end its daily flight from Belfast to Newark airport in January “because of the route’s poor financial performance”. Its announcement led to a torrent of criticism of the European Commission from some of Northern Ireland’s Brexit-supporting Democratic Unionist politicians. They said the cancellation of the United service would damage the local economy and the province’s attempts to attract more US foreign direct investment. “This is a clear example of the EU dictating what we can and cannot do,” said Paul Girvan, a DUP member of the Northern Ireland assembly. Simon Hamilton, a senior DUP figure who is the province’s economy minister, said it was “deeply regrettable that unelected bureaucrats in Brussels have in effect scuppered this important flight for Northern Ireland”. Graham Keddie, managing director of Belfast International Airport, also attacked the commission and praised local politicians for supporting the deal with United. “Their efforts went above and beyond, but in the end the faceless Eurocrats, and others ill-disposed to Northern Ireland, won the day,” said Keddie.<br/>