Newcastle International Airport is continuing to celebrate record numbers after welcoming its five millionth passenger in 2017 on Friday (24th November); the first time it has done so since 2008.
The North East’s largest airport, which was voted Britain’s best airport for a second successive year in the summer, reached its latest landmark figure a month earlier than in 2008, with passenger figures set to be the highest in a decade as 2017 comes to a close.
To celebrate the occasion, staff were on hand to greet the five millionth passenger, Mark Knight from County Durham and his family, as they checked in for the daily Air France flight to Paris, gifting them with a VIP pre-departure experience and £100 worth of World Duty Free Vouchers.
Mark said: “This is a wonderful surprise – I’m over the moon to be the five millionth passenger. My family and I are off to Disneyland for the first time where my daughter, Mia, will be dancing in a show. It’s going to be a really exciting weekend and this is just the best start we could have asked for.”
Leon McQuaid, Aviation Development Manager at Newcastle International Airport, said: “We’re delighted to have now served five million passengers for the first time in almost ten years and we’re thrilled to be on track to reach our highest passenger figures in a decade by the end of the year.
“It’s always great to celebrate these milestones with our passengers, however this one was particularly special as it’s such a fantastic achievement for the airport. We hope that the Knight’s trip to Disneyland is special and wish Mia the best of luck with her dance.
“It’s very important that people have choice from their local airport and with more than 80 direct destinations now available from Newcastle and connections across the globe thanks to our extensive hub network, with airlines such as Air France, discovering the world from the North East has never been easier.”