BOSSES at a North-East airport yesterday announced a significant rise in passenger numbers.

More than 65,000 people passed through Durham Tees Valley Airport, at Middleton St George, near Darlington, in March - representing a 37 per cent increase on the same month last year.

The figure included budget airline Ryanair carrying nearly 7,500 passengers on its service to Rome, while bmibaby recorded 17,000 people using its flights to Paris, Cork, Malaga, Palma, Alicante and Belfast.

Airport commercial manager Richard Whitehouse said: "Airlines such as bmibaby and Ryanair - and operators such as Thomson Holidays, who are introducing three new destinations to Corfu, Tunisia and Gerona, in Spain, for this summer - are providing the airport with significant growth over the coming year."

The airport will also welcome Cypriot specialist operator, Libra Holidays, which is due to launch a direct flight to Larnaca, Cyprus, this summer.