"The North East should be big enough to support to airports with base operations - of course these will be loco not network carrier but they should still earn the airports enough to be viable. So why does NCL have U2, FR, BE, LS etc - but MME has next to nothing? Surely FR at least are 'ripe' for poaching from NCL"
Why ?
Northumberland, Durham and N.Yorks are the most rural counties in England. The area may be large, but the population density isn't. Then consider that the Tyne and Wear Conurbation has a popualtion of circa 2.5m vs circa 600k for Tees Valley. Tees valley industry profile is still dominated by large scale process industries (ie overall low average wages), whereas T&W has a much higher proportion of job posts requiring business travel, and higher average income generally for discretionary spending on travel. Business travel demand ex MME to europe and beyond is pretty much covered by KLM capacity. U2 are struggling at NCL and are strategically chasing the business market as much as leisure, so are unlikely to be interested in MME. FR has tried and given up. That really only leaves LS that haven't tried MME, and they are hardly likely to set up services that will partially be in competition with an Ok base at NCL and with fortress Leeds.