United Airlines Belfast to New York flights set to end

Northern Ireland's only daily direct air route to the United States ends on Monday.

US carrier United Airlines announced last year that it would stop flights between Belfast and New York.

It said it made the decision because of the route's poor financial performance.

A £9m deal agreed by the Northern Ireland Executive and the airline in a bid to save the route fell through because the financial package breached EU state aid rules.

The route between Belfast International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport first began in 2005, operated by Continental Airlines.

The final United Airlines flight from Belfast International Airport was pictured ahead of its departure

United took over the operation of the route in 2012 after a merger between it and Continental.

Monday's final inbound and outbound flights came after it was announced that Belfast International is the fifth busiest airport in the United Kingdom for domestic passenger traffic.

More than 5.1 million passengers passed through the airport last year, representing a growth of more than 17%.

Graham Keddie, the airport's managing director, said he was working closely with the government to deliver a major long-haul project that would open up "attractive additional and badly-needed connections".

Ulster Unionist MLA Steve Aiken said the route was "vitally important for Northern Ireland business and Northern Ireland people".

He called on the executive to "invest in [the] success" of the airport by building a dual carriageway link to it and scrapping a tax on air travel.

"It has great opportunity for international flights and development and I would love to see connections to North America and the Middle East," he said.

"That's important [for] driving forward for the future of Northern Ireland."

The South Antrim MLA, whose wife was on the final flight from New York, added that travelling across the Irish border Dublin for a trans-Atlantic flight would create a "considerable amount of hassle" for people from Northern Ireland.

Passenger James Murray, who arrived at Belfast International Airport on the final United Airlines flight from New York, said it was shame for the link to be lost.

"Maybe when they get Brexit out of the road they can get it back again," he added.

United Airlines had been given a three-year deal to prevent it axing its daily Belfast-New York service