MORE and more people are swapping the grey skies of an English winter for Christmas and new year in the sun, according to officials at Teesside airport.
They say flights over the holiday period to sun spots such as Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura were full to capacity.
Difficulties with rail travel and dreary English weather are thought to be the main reasons for brisk business.
Mr John Waiting said on behalf of the airport: "We are getting the impression that people just want to get away from it all and find the sun. We're usually busy at this time, but this year has been remarkable."
The airport has also been used to fly up to 15 tons of mail from the region to the south of England.
"We normally take small quantities of mail but there has been a huge increase due to the problems on the railways," said Mr Waiting
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article