THOUSANDS of holidaymakers had their flights delayed or cancelled yesterday as the fallout from the foiled terrorist plot spread to the region's airports.

Sixteen flights into and out of Newcastle International Airport, six flights in and out of Durham Tees Valley Airport and four at Leeds Bradford Airport were cancelled, leaving hundreds of people stranded or sent home.

Another 13 flights scheduled in and out of Newcastle today were cancelled late last night, including 12 easyJet services and one British Airways flight, many to Stansted.

Yesterday, many flights throughout the day were delayed as passengers were put through rigorous checks before they were allowed on aeroplanes.

Armed police and police with sniffer dogs patrolled the airports throughout the day as passengers were forced to stow their hand baggage in the main hold before boarding.

Passengers on the Darlington to London National Express service were also asked to stow handbags and backpacks in the baggage hold.

Most passengers accepted the tightened security and delays to their journeys without complaint - and operations across the North-East were described as smooth.

Last night, police and airport officials were unable to say how long the increased security measures would be in place. It could stretch into next week and it will be dictated by the Government.

It was not known how many of today's flights will be affected, but there are likely to be delays as travellers are put through the new security procedures. Passengers are being asked to arrive for check-in in plenty of time.

Durham Assistant Chief Constable Michael Banks said: "We appreciate this action will cause major disruption and inevitably lead to delays, but public safety is obviously the primary concern for all of us.

"In common with all UK forces, we have well-established contingency procedures for this sort of situation and we hope these will be in place for a limited period only."

Yesterday, flights to Heathrow, Newquay and Gatwick were cancelled from Durham Tees Valley - affecting an estimated 500 people.

Up to 500 passengers at Leeds Bradford had their journeys disrupted as flights to Amsterdam, Dublin and Heathrow were cancelled.

Newcastle airport's head of security said staff were "specifically looking for liquids" as they checked passengers.

Chief Superintendent Chris Machell, Newcastle area commander, said the Northumbria Police helicopter had been flying over the runway to check that security had not been breached.

He said sophisticated number-plate recognition technology was being used on vehicles visiting the airport.

"We are part of a national operation, with more officers here than normal, and we will use every tactic available to us," he said.