Boss says airport could close if passengers do not return
11.08.11
The boss of the company that owns Durham Tees Valley Airport has said the hub could close unless there is a sharp increase in passengers, the Northern Echo reports. Craig Richmond, chief executive of Peel Airports, said people in the Teeside region need to use Durham Tees Valley or they will lose the facility.
The number of passengers has fallen from a peak of 920,000 in 2006 to a predicted of figure of under 200,000 this year. The airport has not recovered from losing three airlines in 2009, bmibaby, Flyglobespan and Thomson. The decision last November to impose a £6 surcharge on passengers is also rumoured to have put off potential customers.
Speaking to the newspaper, Mr Richmond said the loss-making airport could not be propped up indefinitely. He said: ‘I don’t know what the time frame is, but eventually if it can’t turnaround, something is going to change. I manage three airports (Durham Tees Valley, Liverpool and Robin Hood) and the other two airports have a total of 6 million passengers, yet I spend half my time on Durham Tees Valley looking at what we can do.’
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