Mar 7 2009 by Adam Jupp, The Journal
A GERMAN airline has reported soaring numbers of passengers using Newcastle International Airport. In a boost for The Journal’s Think North East First campaign, Lufthansa says more than 75% more people chose their service from Newcastle to Dusseldorf last year.
The carrier puts the huge increase down to the fact it doubled the number of daily flights to the German city in 2008. Business leaders have taken advantage of the service to take meetings on the continent, as well as connecting with flights to destinations across the globe.
Marianne Sammann, Lufthansa’s General Manager for the UK & Ireland, travelled to Tyneside to reveal the 78.4% rise in passenger figures. She said: “We feel this is a great success story as it goes against what we are seeing nationally, where passenger figures are slightly down. Of course, we launched a second daily flight, so we expected a slight rise, but to see a 78.4% is amazing, especially in the current climate. We feel this shows the people of the North East are prepared to back their local airport and we also put the success down to the service we offer for competitive prices.”
Lufthansa came to Newcastle International Airport in 1996, but increased its presence last year, adding a second daily service to Dusseldorf. In 2007, 20,472 flew to the German city from Tyneside but that increased to 35,526 in 2008. Dusseldorf acts as a strong hub destination for onward flights to Europe and beyond.
The most popular connection locations for people flying out of Newcastle are Dresden, Berlin, Munich and Hamburg but places like New York and Ho Chi Minh City also do well.
Ms Sammann said Lufthansa had no immediate plans to add further routes to their portfolio from Newcastle but the situation would be monitored closely.
She said: “We recently saw bmi pull out of Durham Tees Valley and so we think there is a strong chance North East customers will see our flights as a way to connect with destinations previously served by the bmi service.”
Graeme Mason, head of planning and corporate affairs at Newcastle International, said: “We’re very pleased to have the twice daily Lufthansa service to Dusseldorf. This is a major German airport and a key hub for access to destinations worldwide. The business connections this route provides to the North East region are vital in these tough economic times.”