MME
TEESSIDE UK
Transforming Teesside
Since coming back into public ownership in 2019, Teesside International Airport has been undergoing a major transformation. Thomas Haynes speaks to Phil Forster, the gateway’s managing director to find out more
Teesside’s sole runway 05/23, measures 7,516ft (2,291m) in length. While slightly shorter than Newcastle’s 7,644-foot (2,330m) runway 07/25, it is longer than Leeds Bradford’s runway 14/32, which stretches 7,382ft (2,250m)
ALL IMAGES TEESSIDE AIRPORT UNLESS STATED
Phil Forster has been Teesside’s managing director since December 2020
Running a UK regional airport in 2025 is a tough gig, both practically and financially. Gone are the days where an abundance of local airlines roamed the skies above Britain. Instead, airline failures and consolidation over recent decades has not only reduced the number of carriers in the market, but has also meant those that remain have shifted some of their focus towards major airports too. More recently, a global shortage in available aircraft owing to supply chain delays has meant airlines have had to become pickier about where they deploy their fleets, meaning smaller regional facilities lose out, even if flights were successful and had solid load factors.
It is against this backdrop that Teesside International Airport operates. The facility was brought back into public ownership in January 2019 – after nearly two decades in private hands – following a £40m deal between the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) and then-owners Peel Group. The airport was facing closure before being saved by the authority and has since then been making moves to diversify its business to become a thriving and profitable regional airport once again.
Passenger services
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the facility has managed to increase its passenger numbers consistently since 2021 and last year, handled just under 228,000 people – the highest annual figure since 2009 and a significant improvement on the most recent pre-public ownership total of 142,000 for 2018.