AIRPORT bosses in the North East are flying high after being crowned Britain’s best for the third year in a row.
Newcastle International made it a hat-trick of victories in the ‘under six million passengers’ category of the Airport Operators Association (AOA) Awards when they picked up their prize at a glitzy London ceremony.
Chief executive David Laws said the honour, which was voted for by pilots, business leaders and some of the world’s leading airlines and tour operators, capped a momentous three years for the business. “We are absolutely thrilled to be awarded Best UK Airport for the third consecutive year. To be recognised by our peers as delivering a great service is extremely rewarding,” he said.
“We have kept the business steady through the most severe economic downturn for decades, even growing critical routes and preparing a £3.2m investment in improvements to the terminal facilities.
“The past three years have also seen the opening of a new filling station and hotel on the airport site, providing our customers with a great range of services.
“Our customers will hopefully agree that the team at the airport performed very well during the extreme weather in the last two winters.
“During each spell we were open the vast majority of the time, closing only to clear the runway. We even took diverted planes from other airports that had not been able to stay operational.”
Founded in July 1935, Newcastle Airport grew to serve a peak of 5.4 million passengers in 2006.
And while that figure has since dropped off, in 2010 Newcastle International Airport saw more than 4.35 million passengers pass through its doors – making it Britain’s 11th largest flight hub.
“In the last couple of years we have also endured two separate volcanic ash clouds in UK airspace,” said Mr Laws.
“The amount of people directly and indirectly affected by the grounding of aircraft in the North East proved just how important Newcastle Airport is to the region. As an airport we work hard to make a positive difference to our customers travelling through the airport, for them to experience an enjoyable journey is a priority for us.
“We will continue to focus on delivering a commendable service.”
The awards, voted for by members of the British Air Transport Association (BATA), Airport Owners and Pilots Association and the British Business and General Aviation Association, saw Newcastle face stiff competition from the likes of Bristol, Liverpool John Lennon, Leeds Bradford and East Midlands airports.
BATA chief executive Simon Buck said the latest accolade for Newcastle reflected their staff’s work to ensure passengers had a hassle-free trip.
“The airport has demonstrated its commitment to a high level of customer service to its passengers and airline customers alike over many years and this is recognised in the making of this award for the third year running,” he said.
“The winners are well deserved but the strong field of nominees also highlights the good working relationships that exist between UK airlines and airports.”
