LAST week was a bumper week for plane enthusiasts at Teesside Airport.

Despite the skies being quieter place since March, the Royal Air Force continues to operate and train. Fast jets and large transport aircraft are regular visitors to domestic airports.

Highly-flexible, the transport aircraft must have the ability to move a variety of stores, paratroopers or even a Chinook helicopter. To conduct these missions it is vital crews are highly-skilled in low-level flying, day or night. They must also rehearse diverting to the nearest airport in case of an emergency.

With Teesside Airport home to Cobham Aviation, which works closely with the MoD and NATO partners, aviation enthusiasts are often blessed with a variety of visitors to complement the regular flights.

In recent days, a plethora of transport aircraft from Brize Norton paid a visit to the North-East, including several Hercules C130s, an Atlas A400M and a giant C17 Globemaster.

A spokesperson for Teesside International Airport said: “Thanks to the great airspace around the airport, and our capabilities on the ground, we have a valuable relationship with the RAF which frequently uses Teesside International as a base for new pilot training. We were happy to welcome these latest planes for that exactly that reason, supporting the next generation of our Forces’ pilots.

“This is on top of our long-standing work with Cobham Aviation, another brilliant asset for our airport, and who deliver training support for the Ministry of Defence. As we look to increase and develop our passenger flights from the airport, continuing to work with businesses who use the airport – as well as attracting new ones – is hugely important.”

Hercules aircraft also took part in an aerial-refuelling training exercise off the North-East coast. The sortie gave three pilots and an instructor the chance to maintain essential skills that will allow them to complete aerial-refuelling.

Once the crew brought the Hercules up to 20,000 feet, they met with a Voyager, the RAF’s largest aircraft. The aircraft spent six hours in the air, before returning to RAF Brize Norton, home of both the Hercules and Voyager force.