Funding has been announced to support an air route from Londonderry to London Heathrow for another year.

The flight from City of Derry Airport in Northern Ireland, operated by Loganair, is jointly funded by the Department for Transport and the Stormont Department for the Economy.

The latest funding, worth £1.02 million, will start on April 1 to continue the operation of 20 return flights a week for a year.

Visiting the airport on Wednesday, Economy Minister Conor Murphy said funding the route was an “early priority” for him on taking up office in recent weeks following the resurrection of powersharing government.

“The route connects the North West to London which helps thousands of people to travel to work and conduct business,” he said.

“This investment also protects jobs for airport workers and their families.

Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd also attended the visit. He described Northern Ireland’s ports and airports as playing a “vital role in our local economy and are important regional drivers of economic growth”.

City of Derry Airport managing director Steve Frazer said the continuation of the connectivity with London “is vital for the north-west region to support our economic growth, improving both our business and tourism opportunities”.

“Coupled with the fastest and most convenient access to central London, the route also provides onward connectivity to 119 destinations across 56 countries,” he said.

“With this core route now secured thanks to Minister Murphy’s announcement today, improved regional connectivity will help drive our inward investment and growth opportunities across the North West.

“We also very much welcome the visit of Minister O’Dowd, and look forward to working with his department to finalise a support package which will ensure the airport continues to contribute to the economic growth of our region for some years to come, something which has not been possible to achieve without ministers in place.”