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T26-075CRO City of Derry to London Public Service Obligation (PSO) Air Service

Derry City and Strabane District Council

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Tender

28 Aug 2026 at 09:49

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

03 Jun 2026 at 12:03

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Derry City and Strabane District Council is procuring a public service obligation air route from City of Derry Airport to a London airport. Eligible London destinations are Gatwick, Heathrow, London City, Luton, Southend and Stansted, provided the airport can reach London transport zone 1 within 60 minutes by rail. The service is classified as air transport services. The successful operator will provide the scheduled route for the Council, with activity delivered between Derry and the selected London airport. Tenderers are strongly encouraged to offer more than one London airport, providing a separate cost estimate for each option so the Council can assess the value of different hub connections. This is a single route requirement rather than a wider airport services framework.

The procurement has reached tender: the Council invited offers through an open procedure, with electronic submission via etendersNI. Enquiries were due by 16 October 2026 at 12:00 noon, and tenders by 30 October 2026 at 12:00 noon. The Council expected to complete award by 10 February 2027. The contract period is 1 April 2027 to 1 April 2029, with an option to extend or renew for up to a further two years, potentially until 1 April 2031. The gross estimated value is £7,200,000. Quality carries 80% of the evaluation and cost 20%. The route is subject to funding, approvals, performance review and value-for-money assessment by the relevant government departments and Council committee.

This opportunity suits an airline or other air-service operator able to operate a public service obligation route between City of Derry Airport and a qualifying London airport. Suppliers must identify an airport where suitable take-off and landing slots are available and acquire those slots through the regular allocation process; the Government will not ring-fence them. Operators able to assess and present more than one London destination may address the Council’s interest in hub access and comparative value. The requirement will favour businesses with the operational capability, aircraft, scheduling, airport coordination and regulatory arrangements needed for a scheduled passenger air service. The funding and performance-review arrangements also require an operator able to sustain delivery and demonstrate satisfactory performance over the initial term.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

T26-075CRO City of Derry to London Public Service Obligation (PSO) Air Service

Notice Description

This ITT has been issued by Derry City and Strabane District Council (the Council) for the Provision of a Public Service Obligation air route from City of Derry Airport (CODA) to a London airport. This can be any of the following 6 London Airports, listed in alphabetical order: London Gatwick, London Heathrow, London City, London Luton, London Southend and London Stansted. A London airport has been defined by the Department for Transport (DfT) as any airport that can access transport zone 1 of London within 60 minutes by rail. Tenderers are strongly encouraged to give more than one option of London airport with separate cost estimates for each airport. This will enable consideration of the value-added elements provided through hub access. It should be noted that slots must be available to operate the schedule at the chosen London airport and must be acquired by the airline through the regular slot allocation process. Slots will not be made available by Government through ring-fencing. Your submission must be submitted via etendersNI, via this CFT. No other method of submissions will be accepted. Please refer to the CfT documents for further detail.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: The Contract shall be effective from the date of award of Contract for an initial period of 2 years, with a view to extending for a further 24 months with the successful Operator. The Council reserves the right to extend/renew the Contract up to a further 2 years, after the initial 2 year period. Any extension may be subject to further approval by DfT, Department for Economy (DfE) and Council Committee, availability of funding and satisfactory performance of the Operator. The route will be 100% funded by the DfT and the DfE subject to a review of performance after 24 months. It should be noted that any recommendation made by Council will be subject to DfT and DfE value for money assessment and approval.

Planning Information

Please refer to the CfT documents for further detail

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06ac48
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082048-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Planning, Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

CPV Codes

60400000 - Air transport services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£7,200,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£7,200,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
28 Aug 20264 days ago
Submission Deadline
30 Oct 20262 months to go
Future Notice Date
24 Jun 2026Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Apr 2027 - 1 Apr 2029 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Active
Lots Status
Active
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Derry City and Strabane District Council
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
DERRY
Postcode
BT48 7NN
Postcode Area
Northern Ireland
Country
Northern Ireland
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLN Northern Ireland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLN0 Northern Ireland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLN0A Derry City and Strabane
Delivery Location
TLN0A Derry City and Strabane
Local Authority
Derry City and Strabane
Electoral Ward
Northland
Westminster Constituency
Foyle

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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