The low-cost airline, Easyjet, expects passenger figures from Northern Ireland to grow to a record one million people in the current year, writes Francess McDonnell.

The no-frills operator said latest trading figures show continuing strong growth in the market in the North, for both domestic and international services.

The airline's passenger figures for the last financial year grew by 35 per cent to 690,000 people, but it expects the effect of new routes and increased services to substantially boost total passenger numbers this year.