NORTH-EAST holidaymakers could soon have greater access to faraway shores in ambitious proposals set out by a new airport boss, The Northern Echo can reveal.

Dave Laws says long-haul flights are very much “on the radar” as he draws up a blueprint to strengthen operations at Leeds Bradford Airport.

Mr Laws, who last year stepped down as chief executive at Newcastle Airport, says he aims to replicate the success he enjoyed at the North Tyneside base, which included bolstering European and international services.

The former fireman, who took a pay cut to join Newcastle’s corporate team, has also laid out plans to improve Leeds Bradford’s terminal and take passenger numbers to five million over the next three years, saying he hopes to increase choice for people living across County Durham and Teesside.

Mr Laws, who masterminded Emirates’ Dubai flights from Newcastle and worked with United Airlines to give flyers the opportunity to take advantage of non-stop services to New York, stood down from the North-East site a year ago.

He took on an advisory role with Newcastle Airport shareholder AMP Capital but says while the venture was enjoyable, he’s thrilled with his new project as Leeds Bradford’s chief executive.

He told the Echo: “I’ve been in this industry 37 years and it’s in my blood; I love it.

“I hope people appreciate what I tried to do at Newcastle.

“I’m a Newcastle guy and a North-Easterner through and through but when I got this opportunity, the pull was too just much.

“I had a very enjoyable year with AMP and I felt re-energised after a year out from the day-to-day stuff.

“When this opportunity came up out of the blue I had to have a look at it.

“The potential at Leeds Bradford is absolutely immense and my job coming is to review the business and part of that is looking at strategy.

“Long-haul is on the radar and I’m sure people would welcome the opportunity to fly long-haul from the airport.

“I’ve got the opportunity to take this place to a new level and I’m excited by that.”

Playing down suggestions he’ll be taking passengers off his former employer, Mr Laws said the two bases can continue operating successfully, saying road improvements, particularly those being carried out on the A1, will give holidaymakers easier access.

He also said he was confident of taking Leeds Bradford’s passenger numbers up towards the five million mark from their existing 3.9 million.

Mr Laws added: “The work on Scotch Corner and Bedale, in North Yorkshire, means the journey to Leeds Bradford is going to be massively improved. People obviously have the choice but I don’t think it’s a case of Leeds Bradford and Newcastle being in competition.

“People are still going to choose to fly from their local airport.

“They both run similar flights and Newcastle has got the long-haul proposition that Leeds doesn’t have.

“At this stage I see no reason why Leeds Bradford can’t grow to 4.5 million or even five million passengers in the next three years, though you never know what the market is going to be like.”

However, Mr Laws, who oversaw football matches at Wembley and Cardiff ’s Millennium Stadium during his time as a referee, highlighted one area where he believes airports could be dealt an operational blow; air passenger duty (APD).

Reiterating a similar warning from officials at Newcastle, Mr Laws pointed to the impact APD had on a once 250,000-strong passenger service between the North-East and Stansted.

He added: “APD is a hindrance to the aviation industry and a hindrance to inward investment and inward tourism.”

Newcastle bosses say they fear major changes to Scottish APD could see at least 500,000 passengers lured away from the North-East site, as holidaymakers and potentially airlines, seek to dodge the charge in England.

Chiefs have argued they want at the very least a matching of any cuts across the rest of the UK, though the Government has yet to indicate if it will proceed with any fresh action on APD.

However, the Democratic Unionist Party’s anticipated deal with the Conservatives has raised new hope for campaigners, since the former’s General Election manifesto included a commitment to pursue APD’s scrapping.