Government support vital to help save Durham Tees Valley Airport

The Institution of Civil Engineers North-East called for more Government support for the airport following Wednesday’s announcement by majority owner Peel Airports that it is selling up.

Peel said it was confident it could find a buyer, but said it no longer fitted in with the company’s strategic plan.

The latest passenger figures, released by the Civil Aviation Authority only yesterday, further demonstrated the problems of the airport, with the rolling 12-month figure for Durham Tees Valley dropping another 7,000 to 192,000, its lowest figure in more than 35 years.

Stephen Larkin, director of the Institute of Civil Engineers North-East, said: “The Prime Minister has described the airport as vital, and he is absolutely right, but we need real Government support to make the airport a viable proposition for prospective buyers. We then need significant investment from the new owners.

“There is too much focus on the South-East in the debate around additional runway capacity in the UK. There is valuable surplus in regional airports, including Durham Tees Valley Airport, which can be put to good use and provide an economic boost to the area and the nation.

“The owner needs to market the potential of this spare runway capacity at Durham Tees Valley Airport if it is to make a sale of the business more viable to a buyer than simply the sale of the land for some other purpose. However, capacity can only meet its potential with Government help.”

He said air passenger duty disadvantaged flights from regional airports and called for the Government to support the growth of regional airports as it did in the South-East.

After Wednesday’s announcement, Darlington MP Jenny Chapman attacked the Government’s economic plan for the North-East during Prime Minister’s Questions.

Mr Cameron said the key to the future of the airport was whether it was being invested in and expanded rather than its ownership.