Newcastle Airport scoops another big national travel industry award

Organised by the long-standing, national trade magazine Travel Trade Gazette (TTG), the awards are voted for by leaders from across the tourism industry.

The Airport was recognised for its exceptional customer service; thanks to its industry-leading security queue times, its operational excellence; demonstrated by ranking in the top 3 of all UK airports for on-time performance in 2023, its commitment to supporting trade partners;thanks to its full-time, on the road trade support and for its contribution to a fairer travel industry; noting the company’s work to support passengers with disabilities and the promotion of equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Nick Jones, Chief Executive at Newcastle Airport said: “We are delighted to be named UK and Irish Airport of the Year by the Travel Trade Gazette.

“This is a tremendous achievement for our entire team and partners, who work tirelessly to ensure we continue to deliver a world-class experience for our passengers and maintain the highest standards across all areas of our business.”

The award comes after the Airport recently invested more than £20m in its terminal to improve the overall passenger experience.

This included the redevelopment of the security search area, including the implementation of next generation security scanners, with 98% of passengers passing through security in under 10 minutes year-to-date.

The Airport fully refurbished all of the catering outlets in the departure lounge and also opened Aspire’s first three-tier lounge product, a world first for lounge provider Aspire.

The Airport’s customer satisfaction scores continue to be some of the highest on record and its Passenger Assistance team was recently given the top rating of ‘Very Good’ in the CAA Accessibility Audit.

A 2023 study estimated the Airport supports nearly £1bn in GVA and around 13,350 jobs in North East England.

This winter will see another £20m of investment by the business.

A £17m project to resurface its 2,300m runway and adjoining taxiways will commence in November, which will be the largest capital investment project in the Airport’s history.

A further £3m will be invested in additional improvements to the departure lounge experience and retail outlets.

TTG was established as the Travel Trade Gazette in 1953, as the world’s very first weekly travel trade newspaper.

Today, TTG Media delivers authoritative travel industry news and educational features in a monthly magazine in the UK & Ireland to travel agents, tour operators, tourist boards and cruise lines.

TTG Media also offers a range of online and face-to-face training events, a community for luxury travel professionals and bespoke marketing campaigns.