A BOSS at one of the world’s biggest airlines says he believes Newcastle Airport could grow to rival Manchester as a top transport hub.
Visiting the North East to announce plans to increase capacity on his firm’s flights to Paris by 30%, Henri Hourcade, the UK general manager of Air France-KLM, told The Journal he had confidence the region could become a major player for both business and holiday travellers.
“I believe in this region,” he said. “It’s dynamic and there are a lot of strengths – among them oil and gas industries and the competitiveness of local businesses.
“There is a really dynamic private sector in the North East and there are many reasons to be optimistic.
“For us at Air France and KLM it has been a very successful year and from Newcastle specifically.
“In the last 12 months we’ve carried over 350,000 people to and from Newcastle – just under 1,000 passengers a day.
“I hope we’ll continue expanding in Newcastle and I think the airport could at least reach the level of a Manchester.
“I think we can match that. How long it would take I don’t know but I think four to five years is totally realistic.”
In 2009/10 Manchester Airport saw more than 17.75 million passengers pass through its doors, compared with Newcastle’s more modest 4.35m.
But with the country’s biggest airports approaching capacity and with continued investment in the North East, Mr Hourcade said there was no reason why our biggest regional airport could not grow to meet the demand for extra capacity.
“The news media emphasises the worst but we’ve got to ensure we remain positive,” he said.
“It is our priority as a group to be here in North East England, to invest, increase capacity and meet the needs of people who want to connect to long haul.”
As well as increasing the size of Paris-bound planes – which also allows for the introduction of a business class service – the airline group have also increased by up to a quarter the number of daily flights to KLM’s Amsterdam Schiphol hub and increased the number of destinations North East passengers can travel on to.
“We’re opening 16 new long haul routes in places such as China, where we now have eight destinations.
“We are connecting to cities with five to 10 million people, as these are the places where the wealth is growing. But they are also places that have a strong relationship with England and particularly the regions and universities like Newcastle.
“Coupled to companies such as Nissan investing in the region, the future is promising.”
Chris Sanders, aviation development director at Newcastle International Airport, welcomed the vote of confidence.
“Air France-KLM’s investment in this region through the provision of extra frequency and capacity at Newcastle will definitely help with the recovery of the North East economy,” he said.
“The connections available from Newcastle through Paris Charles De Gaulle, Amsterdam Schiphol and other hubs are crucial for international businesses but importantly they also allow leisure passengers to reach any part of the world quickly and easily.”
“Their flights this summer have been very full and this extra capacity comes not a moment too soon for businesses keen to expand their activity by seeking new markets overseas.
“These are challenging times for us all but their substantial investment in the region demonstrates tremendous confidence.”
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