AN airline has flown in the face of aviation industry doom-mongers after promising to create hundreds of jobs on the back of new routes from the region, with another to come.

Budget airline Jet2.com yesterday announced five new routes from Newcastle International Airport next year, creating 125 direct jobs, but with the potential to bring scores more.

It takes the total number of Jet2 routes from Newcastle to 19, with chief executive Philip Meeson adding that he expected to unveil another in the near future.

From May next year, Jet2 will start flying to Dalaman, Crete, Gran Canaria, Paphos and Sharm el Sheikh from the North-East airport.

Mr Meeson said: “We think this will create more than 125 jobs in Jet2 alone, then there are infrastructure jobs in security and baggage.

“These jobs are going to go to local people, all the crews and staff will be based here.

“The jobs will also, hopefully, show our renewed commitment to this great region.”

The announcement will come as a boost to the airport which has not escaped the effects of the economic downturn on the aviation industry.

In May, bosses at Newcastle told MPs it was reviewing plans to expand terminal facilities and build a 360-metre runway because of the recession.

In the same month, British Airways said it would cut jobs as it saw record annual losses of £401m after suffering a near £3bn fuel bill in last year’s oil price bubble.

Half-year results released last month by BAA, which runs the three London airports of Heathrow Gatwick and Stansted, showed passenger numbers had slumped 7.4 per cent.

But earlier this month, Ryanair announced that it was to set up a base at Leeds Bradford International Airport creating 1,000 well-paid jobs.

And in June, the Dubaibased airline Emirates announced it was defying the downturn with significant year-on-year growth in passenger and cargo levels on its flights from Newcastle.

It launched its daily service from Newcastle to the Middle East in September 2007 and has carried more than 250,000 passengers between the two destinations, as well as more than three million tonnes of cargo.

And Mr Meeson was bullish about his airline’s prospects of encouraging 100,000 people to take advantage of Jet2’s new routes next summer. He said: “We are in recessionary times but people still want their holidays.

People want to get off this rainy island.”

He also believed that passengers liked to travel from regional airports that were nearer to their homes.

He said: “Newcastle has very good road connections for Cumbria and the west of the country, as well as Edinburgh, and there is the Metro line from the town. When you get here it is a very quick airport to get through.

“Regional airports are just so popular, which is why we are building up our operations.

“We don’t make it difficult for people, they don’t have to go for long distances to fly.”

David Laws, chief executive of Newcastle Airport, said: “Newcastle International’s partnership with Jet2.com has been given another significant boost today.

“The continued expansion of Jet2.com services from Newcastle International is great news for passengers in the region and demonstrates the confidence and commitment the airline has to Newcastle International and the North-East.”

Jet2 also announced it was increasing the frequency of its summer service from Newcastle to Tenerife to three times a week and its service to Lanzarote to twice a week.