STAFF at the region’s busiest airport are celebrating after being named Airport of the Year at an awards ceremony.

Newcastle International Airport was presented with the award at the North of England Transport Awards held in Leeds on Thursday night.

The airport was presented with the title by BBC presenter Steph McGovern, after beating tough competition from Doncaster Sheffield and Liverpool John Lennon airports.

Newcastle International has recently invested £20 million in upgrades across the airport, including a new radar system, gate area modernisation and new terminal flooring.

It has also introduced digital signs, free wifi, a self-service bag drop and a new World Duty Free Express store to improve passenger experience.

The North East’s largest airport also saw the five millionth passenger pass through the terminal for the first time since 2008, with passenger figures set to be the highest in a decade.

Airport chief executive Nick Jones, said: “We’ve had a fantastic 2017, with multi-million pound investment in upgrades throughout the airport and more than five million passengers passing through the terminal for the first time in a decade - it’s really been a year to remember.

“I’m incredibly proud of each and every one of our team at the airport”.