THE impact of airlines pulling out of a North-East airport has been highlighted by figures that show passenger numbers more than halved in a year.

A survey by an industry magazine showed Durham Tees Valley (DTV) at the bottom of a league table of 300 European airports.

Last night, airport bosses admitted the past 12 months had been difficult, but said they remained more optimistic about the coming year and pledged to continue to try to attract new routes and services.

Airline Network News and Analysis, an online airline magazine, published its findings into the passenger figures at 300 airports across Europe, along with Russia, Turkey and Morocco.

Its figures showed that DTV’s passenger numbers dropped by 55.4 per cent last year in comparison to 2008.

Monthly figures at the airport have fallen since it started analysing the data in May 2008 – peaking in July with a drop of 60 per cent.

The total number of passengers at the airport last year was 288,000 – down from 647,000 in 2008.

The company said: “More than 60 airports reported growth for the whole of 2009, which shows that some airports have clearly found ways to attract airlines and stimulate traffic, even during the current economic climate.

“Their key growth driver at these airports has clearly been the continued growth of low-cost carriers.

“However, it should also be noted that many of those airports that had a particularly bad year can also blame the withdrawal of low-cost services for their plummeting passenger numbers.

“The fact that four of the bottom ten airports are in the UK, the home of low-cost carrier development in Europe, is probably significant.”

The UK average decline was 7.2 per cent, with the North- East’s other airport, Newcastle, showing an 8.9 per cent drop.

Last year, a number of airlines pulled out of DTV. The biggest blow was bmi’s announcement in February to cancel its three daily flights to Heathrow.

The same month, Flyglobespan pulled out, Thomson’s final flights to Alicante were in April, and Ryanair axed its route to Dublin in June. Wizz Air pulled out of the airport in autumn 2008.

However, the news has been promising during the first month of 2010, with the announcement that a franchise agreement between Aer Lingus and Aer Arann would reinstate a route to Dublin five days a week from March. New routes to Southampton, Jersey and Turkey are to start and Thomson will launch a new programme next winter.

The airport is also to open a twin-terminal operation – albeit on the back of 32 proposed job cuts – and a training school.

And KLM is to reintroduce freight on its inbound flights.

The airport’s owner, Peel Airports, which recorded a £13.1m pre-tax loss last year, continues to seek investment partners, as well as a £12m damages claim against airline bmibaby, following its decision to withdraw its flights from the airport in November 2006.

An airport spokesman said last night: “Obviously, the economic upheavals of the past year are continuing to affect all aspects of the air transport industry.

“In recent months we have conducted a major business review to enable the airport to meet the challenges and maximise opportunities for attracting new routes and services in the future.”

Stacy Hall, regional development agency One North East’s director of communications and tourism, said: “Despite the setbacks, DTV continues to offer an excellent service and One North East remains committed to supporting both of our airports in their efforts to secure new routes.”

Phil Wilson, MP for Sedgefield, said: “It has obviously been difficult times for the airport after the loss of slots into Heathrow.

“Peel Airports still has a lot of confidence in the airport and has new routes coming on line.”

He added he would continue to campaign for the third runway at Heathrow to go ahead.

Darlington councillor David Lyonette, chairman of the airport consultative committee group, and Aidan Stradling, a North-East independent consultant with an interest in European travel, both said it was vital to keep KLM’s route to Amsterdam.

Mr Stradling added better transport links, particularly by train and bus, would help attract foreign passengers.