From the Northern Echo - I must get out more...
Airline will review flights from airport in new year
BUDGET airline flyglobespan will decide next month whether to continue services from Durham Tees Valley Airport (DTVA).
The company’s chief executive, Rick Green, said a review of its operations would be completed early in the new year. A decision is being made because the aircraft based at the airport is approaching the end of its lease.
The airline, which started flying from DTVA in March last year, has flights available next month to Alicante, Benidorm and Tenerife. But Mr Green could not guarantee that the airline would continue operating from DTVA beyond the new year.
He said: “Under normal circumstances, we would have the summer’s itinerary finalised by now. The reason we are still deciding it is that the plane flying from Durham Tees Valley reaches its end of lease life in February. For us, we make the decision on the economics of a new plane, the market and demand, as we know the world is in financial meltdown. However, we see a reasonable demand from Durham Tees Valley. The situation is under ongoing review and we will conclude our findings by January 10. Then we will decide either we can source an alternative aircraft or we can’t.”
Mr Green said that part of the review was whether to continue from DTVA, but with fewer flights. He added: “We are in continuous discussions with Durham Tees Valley, they are our first port of call with dialogue.”
Robin Tudor, spokesman for Peel Airports, which operates DTVA, said: “Flyglobespan have had a good association with the airport and we are very keen they continue business through the airport. It is a commercial decision only they can make and we are giving them every encouragement. It is a difficult climate for everybody involved in aviation but we are very optimistic about the airport’s future.”