Up, up and howay: Newcastle Airport aims for all-year round New York flights

Outside, a watery sun has burned through fog and is now spreading its light across the gathered planes.

As the aircraft, their liveries a multitude of colours, glint under the brightness, Mr Laws lets out a chuckle.

He’s just started replying to a question on whether he could have scripted the airport’s 80th year any better when his answer presents itself.

Taxiing into view comes an Emirates’ Dubai plane, the very epitome of the airport’s global reach.

The long-haul service is the perfect reflection of the year Mr Laws, and the airport, has enjoyed.

From its 80th anniversary, to the continuation of Dubai flights, the start and subsequent return of New York services, a new £14m departure lounge and strong passenger numbers, 2015 has been a year of highlights.

But it could get even better.

Mr Laws, a former fireman, has an American dream, and he wants to turn it into a reality.

Next year, the airport will welcome back United Airlines’ non-stop New York services, with flights operating six times a week between May and September.

An increase on the five-day-a-week operations it ran this year, Mr Laws knows full well the importance of the Big Apple route, which was prized for years and now firmly complements its sister long-haul offering to Dubai.

Close to being introduced in 2007, before the economic downturn hit, the New York services started in May, and, if Mr Laws has his way, could become an all-year round operation in five years.

He also wants to take its Emirates route to double daily, and says the airport could get more flights to Germany.

He told The Northern Echo: “There have been so many highlights this year, it’s been a time not many people will forget.

“I’m sitting here now as a British Airways flight comes on a stand and the Emirates flight is pulling on to a stand.

“The way I look at that is that someone will be in Sydney or Melbourne in 22 hours; it is phenomenal.

“You can go anywhere in the world from this airport.

“We have got some tremendous links, whether it be New York, Dubai, Amsterdam or Heathrow, that allow people to complete their journeys.

“We are always working on our routes, and the fact United are back next year is a tremendous bit of good news for the region.

“They will be back bigger and stronger.

“With New York, the first thing was get it here and the second thing was to get it to come back.

“In the third year, we would like to see the service extended.

“It’s a long-term project and in five years I’d love to see an all-year round service.

“But it’s all about getting people to react and go for it.

“Businesses told us what they wanted and we have listened.

“We have gone up to six flights and the next step is for the whole of the North-East to fill the planes.

“It brings the knock-on effect of getting more businesses from the US to the North-East and opens doors for connections to places like Chicago, Boston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Canada.

“It’s fantastic, you get back here and that’s it, you’re off.

“You’re not having to sit around in one of the hub airports.”

Pointing to the nearby Emirates Dubai plane to emphasis his point, Mr Laws uses the service, which has carried well in excess of one million people since its 2007 launch, as an example for what New York can become and how the airport can continue its expansion.

He said: “Emirates had to be taken on and nurtured and New York is the same.

“We want more of Dubai and the hope is for a double daily service.

“The service allows North-East businesses to export and some are now based out there.

“The reason they are there is because they have this connectivity; that is what it can do.

“But we have got to build on it and we are already talking to airlines about 2017.

“We need one or two more German destinations and the other thing is to do a little bit more with Ryanair.

“Jet2 are expanding operations are we have Vueling, which will open up a Spanish link.

“It’s a little mini hub in Barcelona, which is a good destination for cruise ships.

“We could not have written the script better this year.”

The airport contributes about £650m to the local economy every year and supports around 3,500 jobs.

However, those figures could nearly double if the site’s vision for a business park, which will provide warehouse, office and hangar space, give companies better travel links and improve freight deliveries, comes to fruition.

Bosses previously released a masterplan focused on developing the vast site, and Mr Laws said he hopes progress will be made in 2016 to turn the proposals into reality.

He said: “The airport has got a land bank second-to-none.

“It will be a park similar in size to ones like Quorum, in Newcastle, for example.

“The timing is right; people tell us office space, particularly in Newcastle, is at a premium.

“The fact the park will be at an airport, with all the great infrastructure around it, is great in all aspects.

“Once we get the first building complete, it should snowball.

“There are 3,500 jobs on site, but you could take that to 7,000 if we get the business park.

“The airport provides £600m to the local economy, but that could be £1bn.”

However, there is one issue Mr Laws says needs addressing to help the airport maximise its potential.

Sitting in a new bar in the £14m departure lounge, he asks how I arrived at the site.

My answer, the A1 and its myriad of roadwork-induced delays, is met by a knowing frown.

Improving rail links in the south of the region, expanding the Metro, and bettering the road networks, he says, are crucial to the airport and the wider North-East.

He added: “Our new facilities are a credit to the workforce here and the people in the region will enjoy them.

“North-East people work extremely hard, why shouldn’t they have something that’s first-class?

“The fact I’ve been here so long allows me to make sure things are in place for the long-term.

“If we are building here, people can make life-changing decisions and companies have a better chance of success.

“Our new campaign, Discover the World from Your Airport, means you can go anywhere from here.

“The people who live in Darlington, Stockton and Teesside, they deserve really good links into this airport and we need a good train system from the south.

“It’s now vital the roads and trains link up with us.”