THOUSANDS of tourists have been spared further holiday misery after Spanish coach drivers called off strike action.

Flights are finally getting back to normal at Teesside and Newcastle airports after the 72-hour strike by coach drivers.

There were fears that drivers would take further action and thousands more holidaymakers would be left stranded.

A spokeswoman for the Balearic Institute of Tourism said coach drivers and their employers had come to an agreement and, while some issues were not entirely resolved, drivers had promised not to take action that would affect services to and from airports in Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza.

A spokesman for the Federation of Tour Operators said: "Airports are now back to normal and holidaymakers can continue with their plans."

At Teesside more than 2,000 people spent the weekend in the airport lounge facing delays of between two and seven hours. One flight to Menorca was cancelled. Spokesman John Waiting said: "The situation is probably the worst we have had at the airport and what made it more difficult is that it was out of our control."

l Flights out of Teesside were not affected by a 24-hour pilots' strike on Tuesday. Six flights between London Heathrow and Barcelona and eight between Heathrow and Madrid were cancelled.