Hopes of scheduled passenger flights from Carlisle Airport have received a huge boost.

The Treasury has confirmed that proposed routes from Carlisle to London Southend, Belfast and Dublin are among five to share a £7m subsidy for new services from regional airports.

Stobart Group had applied to the Government’s Regional Air Connectivity Fund and had been waiting to hear if its bid had been successful.

Chief executive Andrew Tinkler welcomed the announcement.

He said: “It’s good news and a step towards getting fights. We’re certainly a lot closer now than we were this time yesterday.

“Summer 2016 isn’t out of the question for starting flights.”

He revealed that Stobart is in discussions with the Civil Aviation Authority about works to upgrade the runway and the installation of an instrument landing system.

The company expects to spend between £3m and £4m on the project – more if it opts to move the passenger terminal into a corner of the new freight distribution centre at Carlisle Airport. This would allow direct access to the terminal from the A689.

The plan is for Stobart Air to offer two return flights daily to London Southend Airport, which is also owned by Stobart Group.

From there, a direct rail link takes passengers to central London in under an hour.

Flights would be timed to allow business people and tourists to spend a full day in London.

There would also be one flight each day from Carlisle to Belfast and Dublin, the latter with onward connections to the United States.

Colin Glover, the leader of Carlisle City Council, believes that scheduled flights would help the local economy. He said: “It’s an opportunity for people to come into the city and invest.

“People talk about Southend Airport as a gateway to London but it’s a hub in its own right with onward flights to Europe.

“The one we’re really excited about is Dublin, which has international links to the US. It really starts to open up Cumbria.”

Carlisle MP John Stevenson argues that a functioning airport, added to the announcement of an enterprise zone for the city, will help to fuel growth.

He said: “In all the time I’ve lived in Carlisle, I’ve never seen so much investment and confidence.”