DURHAM Tees Valley Airport (DTVA) has been boosted by the opening of an Irish service and a flight training school.

The Dublin service, announced yesterday, follows a franchise agreement between Aer Lingus and Aer Arann.

It came on the day it emerged that Peel Airports Group, the owner of DTVA, revealed it had seen its losses widen after a drop in revenue.

The flights to Dublin will begin on March 28, operating five days a week, excluding Saturdays and Tuesdays.

It will be extended to six days in May, when a Tuesday service is introduced.

Peel Airports, which also operates Liverpool’s John Lennon and the Robin Hood Airport, in Yorkshire, saw its revenue fall from £53.4m to £48.3m in the year to March 2009, and its pre-tax losses widened to £13.1m over the year, from a loss of £10.9m in 2007-08.

The drop reflects a decline in passenger numbers at all three airports, but despite losing a number of services during the economic downturn, last year finished on a high note for DTVA.

It announced flights to Jersey through CI Travel Group, a route from the airport to Bodrum, in Turkey, through Holidays 4U, and an Eastern Airways service to Southampton.

Last week, Thomson Airways announced its winter 2010 programme for flights from DTVA which included, for the first time, the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh and the launch of a service to Tenerife. Peel Airports Group aviation director Nick Smillie said: “Last year was tough but all our efforts have started to pay off with the new services.”

Earlier this month Peel Airports Group released proposals for a twin terminal operation at DTVA, one facility for holiday charter and low-cost services during the peak season and the other for business travellers and passengers on scheduled flights.

Mr Smillie said: “I think the really important message is that we now know where we are going with the airport. We are not trying to get 737s. A lot of these aircraft are 40 or 70- seaters, giving passengers what they want, which is good regional connections.”

The new Irish franchise will be branded as Aer Lingus Regional and operated using Aer Arann ATR 72-500 aircraft and crew.

Flights will be sold through Aer Lingus, which will receive a franchise fee in recognition of providing its brand to Aer Arann.

A flying school, Durham Tees Flight Training, has also launched at the airport.

The company, operated by North-East businessman David Ripley, is offering training on a fleet of Cessna 152s and Piper Warriors, as well as aerobatic training or air experience flights.

His management team includes chief flying instructor Dale Reynolds, who has been instructing for more than 12 years, and operations manager Ed Hampartsoumian, who is the former head of the aviation programme at Leeds University.

The school will hold open evenings during February and March.

For more details, visit dtft.co.uk