FURTHER evidence of bmi’s decision to pull out of Durham Tees Valley Airport has come to light in a report which puts the cost to business at £1.4m a year.

From the end of next month, new arrivals will be unable to catch a connecting flight to Teesside from Heathrow, the airport which handles more international passengers than any other.

Of course, the North-East still has excellent road and rail links to the capital, but removing the airport from the destination screens at the country’s most important aviation hub deals the region a serious blow.

The pull-out will do nothing to boost efforts at “selling” the Tees Valley to foreign investors as a good place to do business.

Holidaymakers travelling abroad will also find themselves out-of-pocket because they will no longer have access to Heathrow with its network of international connecting flights.

Bmi warned last month that its domestic routes were under threat because Heathrow’s charges will increase by more than 40 per cent from April 1. The impact on short-haul carriers, such as bmi, are disproportionately high because, unlike virtually every other airport in the world, Heathrow’s charges are the same regardless of the size of the aircraft.

So bmi pays the same for its small planes from Durham Tees Valley as British Airways pays for a full jumbo flying from New York. No guesses as to which one makes the more money.

The reaction to The Northern Echo’s Keep the Region Flying campaign shows the depth of feeling about this.

We call on the Government to protectregional slots at Heathrow as a matter of urgency.