Newcastle International Airport

Coordinates: 55°02′17″N 001°41′23″W / 55.03806°N 1.68972°W / 55.03806; -1.68972
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For other airports, see Newcastle Airport (disambiguation).

Newcastle International Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
Owner
  • Newcastle Airport Local Authority (51%)
  • AMP Capital (49%)
OperatorNewcastle International Airport Ltd
Serves
LocationWoolsington, Newcastle upon Tyne
Hub forLoganair[1]
Focus city for
Elevation AMSL266 ft / 81 m
Coordinates55°02′17″N 001°41′23″W / 55.03806°N 1.68972°W / 55.03806; -1.68972
Websitewww.newcastleairport.com Edit this at Wikidata
Map
EGNT is located in Tyne and Wear
EGNT
EGNT
Location in Tyne and Wear
EGNT is located in the United Kingdom
EGNT
EGNT
EGNT (the United Kingdom)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
07/25 2,330 7,644 Asphalt
Statistics (2022)
Passengers4,128,407
Passenger change 2021-22Increase303%
Aircraft Movements31,606
Movements change 2021-22Increase148%
Sources: UK AIP at NATS[2]
Statistics from the Civil Aviation Authority[3]

Newcastle International Airport (IATA: NCL, ICAO: EGNT) is an international airport in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Located approximately 7.7 mi (12.4 km) from Newcastle City Centre, it is the primary and busiest airport in North East England, and the second busiest in Northern England. In 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Newcastle International handled 5.2 million passengers annually.[3]

Newcastle Airport has a Civil Aviation Authority Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P725) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction.

In 2019, it was named the best airport in Europe of those serving 5–15 million passengers annually by Airports Council International (ACI) for the second consecutive year.[4]

Ownership[edit]

The airport is owned by seven local authorities (51%) and AMP Capital (49%). The seven local authorities are: City of Newcastle, City of Sunderland, Durham County Council, Gateshead MBC, North Tyneside MBC, Northumberland County Council, and South Tyneside MBC. In October 2012 Copenhagen Airport sold its stake in the airport to AMP Capital.[5]

Area served[edit]

The airport mainly serves the counties of Tyne and Wear, County Durham, and Northumberland in North East England, as well as Cumbria in North West England, and the Scottish Borders area of southern Scotland. The airport competes with the smaller Teesside International Airport for passengers travelling from and to County Durham and the Teesside area of North Yorkshire. The nearest similar-sized airports are Edinburgh, Glasgow and Leeds Bradford.

History[edit]

Early years[edit]

Newcastle Airport in 1972

In 1929, Newcastle-upon-Tyne City Council set up a special committee to investigate the potential for building an airport to serve the North-East of England, considering 18 locations before selecting a site at Woolsington, about 5 mi (8.0 km) northwest of the city centre.[6] The airport was opened on 26 July 1935 as Woolsington Aerodrome by the Secretary of State for Air, Sir Phillip Cunliffe-Lister. Incorporating a clubhouse, hangar, workshops, fuel garage and grass runway, it cost £35,000 to build.[7] The airport became the base for the Newcastle upon Tyne Flying Club, which moved from its previous home at Cramlington Aerodrome and ran the new airport on behalf of the council.[8] On 1 June 1939, No. 43 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School, operated by Newcastle Flying Club and equipped with a mixture of de Havilland Tiger Moths, Miles Magisters and Hawker Hinds opened at Woolsington, as one of a large number of civil-operated flying schools set up to train aircrew for the RAF. The school was disbanded on 3 September 1939, with the outbreak of the Second World War.[9][10]

In 1940, the airfield was occasionally used to operate detachments of Supermarine Spitfire fighters from RAF Acklington-based 72 Squadron. On 25 July that year, No. 83 Maintenance Unit RAF, tasked with recovering crashed aircraft and salvaging any usable parts, was formed at Woolsington, remaining operational until April 1946. The airfield was also used as a base for the single Tiger Moth of the Durham University Air Squadron from February 1941, and from 1942 to 1943 by detachments from No. 278 Squadron RAF, operating Westland Lysander and Supermarine Walrus in the air sea rescue role.[11] No. 281 Squadron RAF, another air sea rescue squadron, operated from Woolsington from June to October 1943, while from November 1943 to June 1945, the airfield was used as a satellite field for No. 62 OTU, based at RAF Ouston.[11] Woolsington was handed back to the council in 1946.[12]

In 1967, the construction of a new runway and terminal was completed,[13] along with an apron and a new air traffic control tower. These new additions were officially opened by the Prime Minister, Harold Wilson on 17 February 1967.[13]

In 1978, with passenger figures approaching one million per year, the airport was designated as a regional international hub airport in the UK government's White Paper on Airports Policy, opening the way for further redevelopment;[14] in the same decade it was re-branded as Newcastle Airport. The 1980s saw further investment in check-in, catering and duty-free shops. In 1991, Airport Metro station opened, connecting the airport with Newcastle Newcastle City Centre and Sunderland using the Tyne and Wear Metro system.

Since the 2000s[edit]

In August 2004, an extended and refurbished Departure Terminal was opened. The refurbishment included a 3,000 square metre extension with new shops, cafes and 1,200 new seats for waiting passengers.[15]

Aircraft belonging to Thomson, Thomas Cook and Emirates at the airport in 2014

In 2006, a record 5.4 million passengers used the airport, according to Civil Aviation Authority figures.[16]

Rapid expansion in passenger traffic has led to increasing commercial use of the south side of the airport. This was previously used for general aviation, but is now used for freight, mail and corporate flights. This[clarification needed] is partially due to difficulties obtaining departure and arrival slots for light aircraft traffic, which need to be separated from larger aircraft to protect against wake turbulence. As part of the Airport Master Plan, the south-side area is to be expanded with maintenance facilities including new hangar and apron areas.[17]

In January 2007 it was announced that Emirates were to begin a daily non-stop service to Dubai from the airport. This service started on 7 September 2007 and has operated ever since.[18] Until 2012, the route was flown by an Airbus A330. Since September 2012 it has been flown by a Boeing 777.

Also in 2007, now defunct carrier Flyglobespan shortly connected Newcastle with Hamilton, Ontario, through this serving the greater Toronto area. Services were discontinued the same summer.[19]

In 2012, Air Transat cut its route linking Newcastle with Toronto-Pearson, which had operated for several years. Through this, Newcastle was left without any transatlantic service.[19]

On 23rd May of 2015, United Airlines commenced its summer seasonal route from Newcastle to New York-Newark, which was a huge achievement for the airport and the region. The service operated five times per week onboard B757-2 through September.[20]

In August 2016, United Airlines announced it would discontinue its seasonal route from Newark to Newcastle in 2017 after operating for just two consecutive seasons, citing economic reasons.[21]

In July 2017, it was announced that the airport would be investing £3 million on a terminal expansion project which is part of overall £20 million improvement plans running from 2016 to 2017.[22] This £20m improvement plan included a new radar system alongside digital signage in the check-in areas and the installation of new flooring. The £3m plan includes an extension to the terminal by 4,800 sq ft (450 m2) and will increase the equipment in the security hall, bringing in improved technology to speed up procedures there. This was due to be constructed over the winter of 2017/2018.[23]

Until 2019, Jet2.com frequently linked its base in Newcastle with Newark during Christmas time. However, these services have not been resumed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.[19]

In August 2020, easyJet announced the closure of their crew base in Newcastle due to the financial difficulties from the COVID-19 pandemic which means that the airline only operates domestic flights from the airport after scrapping all of its international routes by 31 August 2020.[24] However, since this decision the airline resumed its operations to Palma de Mallorca[25] and Geneva[26] in 2022 as well as Alicante and Amsterdam in 2024.[27] [28]

In March 2022, Ryanair opened its new base at Newcastle and announced 10 new routes which meant that the airline would operate a total of 19 routes, with over 130 weekly flights over Summer 2022 using two based aircraft.[29]

In April 2023, TUI announced its biggest ever programme at the airport for Summer 2024, operating up to 84 weekly flights to a total of 31 destinations on offer using an additional fifth aircraft, including new routes to Sal, Cape Verde and Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.[30]

In May 2023, Jet2.com announced their biggest ever Winter schedule for Newcastle Airport, with over 45 weekly flights. Destinations that have seen increases in the number of flights include Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Alicante.

Facilities[edit]

Newcastle Airport Freight Village is south of the airport and includes Emirates SkyCargo, FedEx, and North East Air Cargo company offices which deal with freight exports and imports and mail. It also houses freight forwarding agents such as Casper Logistics Ltd, Kintetsu World Express, Kuehne + Nagel, Nippon Express, Schenker International, Davis Turner Air Cargo, and Universal Forwarding.[31]

In April 2016, Emirates reported that flown exports have soared to £310m a year since the arrival of the Emirates service from Newcastle to Dubai.[32] The Dubai route contributes some £600m to the economy and has opened unlimited export avenues to North East firms, some of whom have opened offices in the United Arab Emirates.[32]

The airport is also home to the Newcastle Airport Fire Academy.[33][34] The Newcastle Aviation Academy is also located within this area. When Gill Airways operated, its head office was in the New Aviation House, on the airport property.[35] The south side of the airport also has a base for the National Police Air Service.[36] They normally have one respective helicopter based here at a time but are known to rotate their fleet around bases. The area also holds maintenance workshops for the airport and various other depots for airport-run services like Alpha Catering.[37]

Airlines and destinations[edit]

The following airlines operate regular scheduled services to and from Newcastle upon Tyne:[38]

AirlinesDestinations
Aegean Airlines Seasonal: Athens
Aer Lingus[39] Belfast–City, Dublin
Air France Paris–Charles de Gaulle
BH Air Seasonal: Burgas, Sofia
British Airways London–Heathrow
Corendon Airlines Seasonal: Antalya, Dalaman
easyJet Amsterdam (begins 5 September 2024),[40] Belfast–International, Bristol
Seasonal: Alicante,[41] Geneva,[42] Palma de Mallorca[43]
Emirates Dubai–International
Eurowings Düsseldorf
Jet2.com Alicante, Antalya, Faro, Fuerteventura, Funchal, Gran Canaria, Kraków, Lanzarote, Málaga, Tenerife–South
Seasonal: Berlin, Bodrum, Budapest, Burgas, Chania (begins 2 May 2024),[44] Cologne/Bonn,[45] Copenhagen, Corfu, Dalaman, Dubrovnik, Geneva, Girona, Grenoble, Heraklion, Ibiza, İzmir, Jersey, Kefalonia, Kos, Larnaca, Malta, Menorca, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Prague, Reus, Reykjavik–Keflavik, Rhodes, Rome–Fiumicino, Santorini, Skiathos, Thessaloniki, Verona, Vienna, Zakynthos
KLM Amsterdam
Loganair[46] Aberdeen, Exeter, Southampton, Stavanger
Seasonal: Bergen, Newquay
Lufthansa Frankfurt
Ryanair Alicante, Barcelona, Bergamo, Dublin, Faro, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Kraków, Lanzarote, Málaga, Paphos, Tenerife–South
Seasonal: Chania, Gdańsk, Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca, Wrocław, Zadar
SunExpress Antalya[47]
TUI Airways[48] Agadir (begins 1 May 2025),[49] Alicante, Gran Canaria, Hurghada, Lanzarote, Sal,[50] Sharm El Sheikh,[51] Tenerife–South
Seasonal: Antalya, Burgas, Cancún, Corfu, Dalaman, Dubrovnik, Enfidha, Geneva, Heraklion, Ibiza, Innsbruck, Kefalonia, Kittilä, Kos, Larnaca, Málaga, Melbourne/Orlando, Menorca, Naples, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Reus, Rhodes, Rovaniemi, Salzburg, Skiathos, Turin, Verona, Zakynthos

Cargo[edit]

AirlinesDestinations
ASL Airlines France[52] Cologne/Bonn, Edinburgh, Liège
FedEx Express[53] Cologne/Bonn

Statistics[edit]

The airport saw significant growth in the ten years to 2007, when passenger numbers peaked at 5.65 million, more than double the number handled ten years earlier. Passenger numbers declined in the subsequent four years due to the financial crisis of 2007–2010, but later recovered, with around 5.3 million passengers passing through the airport in 2018 (close to the 2006 total), although cargo volumes have broadly increased to record levels since 2005.

Traffic figures[edit]

Newcastle Airport control tower
Main hall
Royal Air Force Tornado GR4 at Newcastle Airport
Number of
passengers
[nb 1]
 Number of
movements
[nb 2]
 Freight
(tonnes)[3]
 Mail
(tonnes)[3]
1997 2,642,591 81,279 1,219 3,489
1998 2,984,724 81,299 678 3,631
1999 2,994,051 79,291 776 3,409
2000 3,208,734 82,940 526 3,720
2001 3,431,393 82,524 783 2,859
2002 3,426,952 79,173 1,438 2,368
2003 3,920,204 75,113 924 2,576
2004 4,724,263 77,721 799 7,756
2005 5,200,806 77,882 199 7,820
2006 5,431,976 81,655 306 7,884
2007 5,650,716 79,200 785 8,483
2008 5,039,993 72,904 1,938 10,901
2009 4,587,883 69,254 2,597 9,758
2010 4,356,130 66,677 3,650 9,062
2011 4,346,270 64,521 3,059 8,532
2012 4,366,196 61,006 2,956 7,929
2013 4,420,839 59,962 3,701 6,512
2014 4,516,739 59,114 4,450 4,738
2015 4,562,853 55,950 3,717 4,633
2016 4,807,906 56,263 4,574 4,894
2017 5,300,274 57,808 5,482 1,128
2018 5,332,238 53,740 5,524 3
2019 5,199,000 50,688 4,745 3
2020 1,064,274 12,305 1,039 0
2021 1,024,930 12,751 1,519 0
2022 4,128,407 31,606 2,449 0
2023 4,819,969 35,447 3,549 0
  1. ^ Passenger, freight and mail volumes include both domestic and international, transit, arriving and departing counterparts.
  2. ^ Number of movements represents total aircraft takeoffs and landings during the year.
Newcastle Airport passenger totals. See Wikidata query.

[54]

Busiest routes[edit]

Busiest routes to and from Newcastle International Airport, UK (2023)[55]
Rank Airport Total
passengers		 Change
2022/23
1 London Heathrow 437,735 Increase 33%
2 Amsterdam 307,984 Increase 21%
3 Alicante 271,618 Increase 13%
4 Tenerife South 266,946 Increase 12%
5 Palma de Mallorca 251,688 Increase 5%
6 Dubai International 231,476 Increase 60%
7 Dublin 228,467 Increase 29%
8 Belfast International 205,878 Increase 6%
9 Lanzarote 166,962 Increase 19%
10 Málaga 159,159 Increase 7%

Accidents and incidents[edit]

On 30 November 2000, a Piper Aerostar registered N64719 en route to Iceland from Newcastle International Airport, crashed close to Fortingall, on the north side of Loch Tay in Perthshire, Scotland, killing the single crewmember. The accident report concluded that the aircraft gradually lost airspeed during an icing encounter, before stalling and the pilot losing control.[56]

Ground transport[edit]

Newcastle Airport Metro Station Platform 2

Metro[edit]

Main article: Newcastle Airport Metro station

The Newcastle Airport Metro station station is directly connected to the terminal through an indoor walkway. The station is the northern terminus of the green line, with frequent direct services to all the main Newcastle and Sunderland stations (approximately 20 and 50 minutes respectively).

Road transport[edit]

The airport is connected to the A1 trunk road by the A696 dual carriageway. A half-hourly bus service links the airport to the nearby villages of Ponteland and Darras Hall, as well as to the City Centre.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Loganair Secures Key UK Air Services". www.loganair.co.uk.
  2. ^ "NATS – AIS – Home". Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d "Annual airport data 2022 | Civil Aviation Authority".
  4. ^ "Newcastle International Airport Named Best Airport in Europe - Again!". Eye Airports. 21 March 2019.
  5. ^ "airport-technology.com". Airport Technology. 28 October 2012. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  6. ^ Sinton 1982, p. 494
  7. ^ "Private Jet Hire Newcastle Airport". Charter-a Ltd. Archived from the original on 9 June 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  8. ^ Sinton 1982, pp. 494–495
  9. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 111
  10. ^ Delve 2006, p. 277
  11. ^ a b Delve 2006, pp. 277–278
  12. ^ Sinton 1982, p. 495
  13. ^ a b "How Newcastle Airport's Shiny, New Terminal Was Opened On This Day 50 Years Ago". Evening Chronicle. 17 February 2017. Archived from the original on 29 August 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  14. ^ Sinton 1982, pp. 495, 497
  15. ^ *"Newcastle International Airport extension opened" (Press release). Copenhagen Airports. 13 August 2004. Archived from the original on 22 June 2007. Retrieved 12 February 2007.
  16. ^ MacBurni, Eric (2007). "Runway Safety: Promoting Best Practices" (PDF). ICAO Journal. 62: 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 June 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  17. ^ "Austin-Bergstrom International Airport Master Plan Update" (PDF). austintexas.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 December 2016.
  18. ^ "Newcastle enters long-haul era with daily Emirates service". 7 September 2007. Archived from the original on 30 April 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  19. ^ a b c "Newcastle has welcomed four airlines since 2021; Jet2 #1 carrier; S23 capacity nearly at S19 level". 9 May 2023.
  20. ^ "United Airlines launches flights from Newark to Newcastle". 23 May 2015.
  21. ^ "United to axe Newcastle, UK flights over weakening pound". Ch-Aviation.com. 12 August 2016. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016.
  22. ^ Ford, Coreena (28 June 2017). "Newcastle Airport reveals £3m terminal extension as part of improvement plans". nechronicle. Archived from the original on 14 July 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  23. ^ Ford, Coreena (28 June 2017). "Newcastle Airport reveals £3m terminal extension as part of improvement plans". nechronicle. Archived from the original on 14 July 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  24. ^ "easyJet to scrap all international flights from Newcastle Airport as North East base closes". Chronicle Live. 17 August 2020.
  25. ^ "easyJet resumes Newcastle-Palma flights". The Northern Echo. 18 March 2022.
  26. ^ "easyJet resumes Newcastle-Geneva flights". Insider Media. 18 August 2022.
  27. ^ "easyJet resumes Newcastle-Alicante flights". Travel News. 1 March 2024.
  28. ^ "easyJet relaunches Newcastle-Amsterdam route". Routes. 3 March 2024.
  29. ^ "Ryanair Set to Launch 10 More Route from its Newcastle Base". Routes Online. 28 November 2022.
  30. ^ "TUI Launches Biggest Ever Programme from Newcastle International Airport for Summer 2024". Newcastle Airport. 21 April 2023.
  31. ^ "Cargo". newcastleairport.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  32. ^ a b Ford, Coreena (18 April 2016). "Export values flying high at Newcastle International Airport". nechronicle. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  33. ^ "Cargo & Freight". Newcastle Airport. Archived from the original on 18 December 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  34. ^ "Fire Training Courses". Newcastle Airport. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  35. ^ "Contact Us". Gill Airways. 23 April 2000. Archived from the original on 23 April 2000. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  36. ^ "NPAS Newcastle (@NPASNewcastle) | Twitter". Retrieved 9 August 2017 – via Twitter.
  37. ^ "International offices | Alpha Group". alpha-group.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  38. ^ "Flight Timetables". newcastleairport.com.
  39. ^ "Aer Lingus and Emerald Airlines to start regional routes from St Patrick's Day 2022". 16 December 2021.
  40. ^ https://www.goedkoopvliegenclub.nl/
  41. ^ "EasyJet operará 11 nuevas rutas gracias a la apertura de la base de operaciones".
  42. ^ "EasyJet launches return of Switzerland flight from Newcastle Airport this winter". 16 August 2022.
  43. ^ "EasyJet refuerza sus conexiones desde España con aeropuertos de Reino Unido, Escocia, Irlanda del Norte y Alemania". 17 December 2021.
  44. ^ "Summer 2024 flights". Jet2. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  45. ^ "Jet2.com - Flights from Cologne". Archived from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  46. ^ "Loganair adds capacity from Newcastle airport for summer 2023". 19 December 2022.
  47. ^ "News for Airlines, Airports and the Aviation Industry | CAPA".
  48. ^ "Flight Timetable". tui.co.uk.
  49. ^ https://www.ttgmedia.com/news/tui-expands-summer-2025-programme-to-more-than-10-million-seats-45622
  50. ^ "Tui adds 150,000 seats to make winter 2023-24 biggest ever".
  51. ^ "Tui adds 150,000 seats to make winter 2023-24 biggest ever".
  52. ^ aslairlines.fr - Scheduled cargo flights
  53. ^ airlineroutemaps.com - FedEx retrieved 15 July 2020
  54. ^ "CAA Airport Statistics" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 February 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  55. ^ "Airport Data 2023". UK Civil Aviation Authority. 11 April 2024. Tables 12.1 (XLS) and 12.2 (XLS).
  56. ^ "Report on the accident to Piper PA60-602P, N64719 on 30 November 2000, UK AAIB" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  • Delve, Ken (2006). The Military Airfields of Britain: Northern England: Co. Durham, Cumbria, Isle of Man, Lancashire, Merseyside, Manchester, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Yorkshire. Ramsbury, UK: The Crowood Press. ISBN 1-86126-809-2.
  • Sinton, J. R. (November 1982). "British Isles' Airports: No 11: Newcastle Airport". Aircraft Illustrated. Vol. 15, no. 11. pp. 494–498. ISSN 0002-2675.
  • Sturtivant, Ray; Hamlin, John; Halley, James J. (1997). Royal Air Force Flying Training and Support Units. Tunbridge Wells, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-252-1.

External links[edit]

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