THE owner of Durham Tees Valley Airport has joined airports across the North in backing a 30-year transport plan.

Transport for the North's draft strategic transport plan outlines how transport connections across the North need to be transformed by 2050 to drive growth and close the economic gap between the region and the rest of England.

It said the plan was underpinned by a "robust evidence" base and claimed investment could deliver a £100bn economic boost and 850,000 additional jobs by 2050.

Robert Hough, chairman of Peel Airports – the owners of Doncaster Sheffield Airport, Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Durham Tees Valley Airport, said: “Unlocking the significant existing capacity for both passenger and cargo services in the North will provide a clear economic benefit for the regions and the UK.

"Improvements in surface access to Northern airports will be vital to realising this, supporting enhanced connectivity, and ensuring growth is spread across the North.”

Peel has been involved in a row with Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen who has criticised its tenure of Durham Tees Valley Airport and pledged to take it into public hands.

A final version of the plan will be published later in the year and submitted to the Government for ministerial consideration.