Teesside Airport yesterday urged business leaders to play a key role in developing its network of flights.

Officials have drawn up a list of destinations, both domestic and international, that they believe the local business and leisure community would like to see served direct from Teesside.

They are now encouraging people to go on-line to register their levels of demand.

Commercial manager Richard Whitehouse said the research was an important part of the airport's route development process.

"The decision to operate any route is a financial one and, like any other business decision, is based on objective data and the potential returns that can be derived," he said.

"If a local company has strong links with a particular region, we want to know."

The survey can be accessed on-line at www.teessideairport.com