Teesside Airport announces summer passenger numbers
The airport has seen a 96% increase in passenger numbers since 2019. This is by far the largest increase at a UK airport at a time when the industry has suffered the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The official figures show major progress in the long-term turnaround plan and come as the airport celebrates being named British and Irish Airport of the Year.
Civil Aviation Authority data showed 25,369 passengers passed through the airport in July, compared to fewer than 13,000 in 2019.
Teesside was one of just six of 35 UK airports to exceed their pre-pandemic numbers, bucking the national trend that saw a 6% fall in overall air traffic.
Separately, September also saw the airport experience its best month since 2010 – beating the previous record set only in June – with a total of over 27,000.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “These figures show our turnaround plan is working, delivering the flights and services people expect from their local airport.”
“We have worked incredibly hard to recover from the impact of the pandemic and it is fantastic that we have achieved by far the largest recovery of any airport in the country.”
“That’s just the beginning. We want more great destinations to make sure we grow that number. This growth – along with our development as a great location for business – will help us deliver on our plan to return the airport to profitability.”
Bosses say the rise in passenger numbers was fueled by an expanded package of holiday flights that saw thousands of families jetting off for the sun.
This summer the airport experienced its busiest period since returning to public ownership in 2019 and is on track to record its busiest year since 2011.
Ryanair’s holiday hotspots to Alicante, Faro in Portugal, Mallorca and Corfu are very popular.
TUI has also expanded its offering from Teesside this year, with twice-weekly flights to Mallorca thanks to the route’s popularity last year and a connection to Antalya in Turkey.
Balkan Holidays also flies to Burgas, Bulgaria, and holidaymakers use KLM’s three-times-daily service to Amsterdam Schiphol, which serves 200 other destinations worldwide.
Phil Forster, managing director of Teesside International Airport, said: “These figures confirm that Teesside is moving decisively in the right direction.
“We are confident we can now build on this success by adding more flights so that passengers will make Teesside their first choice thanks to the fantastic flying experience from our airport.”
Teesside has been named British and Irish Airport of the Year at the TTG Travel Industry Awards in London after receiving recognition for its growth in flights and delivery of a great passenger experience.
It is also in the running for Best British Airport at the British Travel Awards and is the only national airport to beat global competition in the International Airport Review’s Airport Experience Awards.
Great progress has been made in developing the airport as a key business location as part of the ten-year plan to return to profitability.
Work on the link road and the first unit of the £200m Business Park South on the south side of the airport is now almost complete. When fully operational, 4,400 jobs are expected to be created, while new hangars will also be built on the north side of the airport.
