Newcastle International Airport ready to celebrate 75th anniversary

Jan 29 2010 by Adam Jupp, The Journal

THE region’s biggest airport is hoping to soar out of the recession in its 75th year.

Newcastle International has marked the milestone by announcing a series of celebrations and unveiling a special logo.

This week it was revealed seven new flight services will run from the airport in 2010.

And it is hops that is a sign of things to come, with chief executive Dave Laws predicting growth of 2% over the next 12 months.

He told The Journal: “This is a massive year for us.

“We first opened on July 26 1935 and now we are in a position where we have the capability to process 7.5 million passengers a year, fly people to more than 80 destinations worldwide and play a significant role in the regional economy.

“I think this is an exceptionally proud year for everybody connected with the airport and we have a series of events planned and what we want to do is involve as many people in our celebrations as possible.”

Like all airports, Newcastle International felt the bite of the credit crunch last year, with overall passenger numbers falling. Airport bosses are also pushing for a review of Air Passenger Duty - through The Journal’s A Tax Too Far campaign – and say the Government risks damaging regional economies if it presses ahead with planned hikes in November.

But airlines and holiday companies are showing their continued eagerness to do business with Newcastle International, including low cost carrier Flybe, which has announced a new service to Guernsey.