A consultation seeking the views of industry, local communities, residents and other stakeholders on how aviation services should develop in Northern Ireland over the next 30 years began yesterday.

The consultation forms part of a nationwide exercise covering all parts of the country and will help the British government to develop its aviation policy for the whole of the UK up to the year 2030, in the face of growing demand for air travel.

Among the key issues in Northern Ireland on which the government is seeking views are:

should new airport capacity be provided in Northern Ireland and, if so, how much and where should it be located?

What measures would be needed to control and mitigate the environmental impact of any airport growth?

Given the lack of viable alternative means of transport to London and the need to use connecting services to international destinations, should air services from Northern Ireland to South East airports be protected?

Should Northern Ireland be encouraged to develop a greater range of direct international scheduled services from the region?

Should Belfast City and Belfast International compete for routes or develop complementary services?

Consultations in the rest of the UK were announced on July 23rd by the British Transport Secretary, Mr Alistair Darling.

He said: "We have built the fourth largest economy in the world on our ability to trade. Air travel is crucial to our expanding economy and we need to plan for the future.

"There has been a sixfold increase in air travel since 1970. Now half the population flies at least once a year and demand is expected to continue to grow. One third of all UK goods exported go by air.

"Providing a framework for sustainable development for the next 30 years and beyond is essential. We need to address how we should respond to the continued growth in demand for air travel; how much additional airport capacity is needed; and where it should be located.

"Just as importantly we need to deal with the environmental impact of expansion and its effects on the people living close to airports." Mr Darling added.

In 2000, nearly five million of the 180 million passengers passing through UK airports used the main Northern Ireland airports.

People living in Northern Ireland make more journeys by air than those in many other parts of the UK, around 1.4 return trips per person.

Similar consultations have been launched in the north of England, the midlands, south-west, south-east, Scotland and Wales.