from the Chronicle website:
AIRLINE Lufthansa says it has had a record-breaking year for passengers travelling from the North East. More than 20,000 people flew from Newcastle International Airport in 2007, up almost 25% on the year before.
And Lufthansa manager for the UK and Ireland Marianne Sammann says the airline may develop its presence in the North East in the future.
She said: “We doubled the number of flights to Dusseldorf from Newcastle in the autumn last year and we already see a difference. Newcastle is a very good base for future growth. We have to see how things progress in the summer but it looks optimistic. So far we have been able to manage with the staff we have but this may change if we continue to grow at Newcastle. We are looking to create links through Dusseldorf to fly to destinations all over the world. Our passenger growth out of Newcastle has been exceptional for the past two years. It proves huge numbers of travellers still want the added value they receive from a full service airline. There is no doubt that the introduction of our second daily service to Dusseldorf is a major factor in the record figures. It arrives in Dusseldorf just after noon, freeing up the afternoon for either business meetings or sightseeing.”