I saw the ITV North East News and it had a report on the new route - you saw a parked bmibaby aircraft in the background and in the foreground a beautiful Ryanair Boeing 737-800 in the revised livery with winglets was just parking up - and in classic Ryanair style, the aircraft sported extra, "Bye bye baby" titles!
Hugh Lang said at the end of the interview that the airport has, "More announcements up its sleeve".