A REGIONAL UK airport has been named one of the best in the world at an award ceremony in Bahrain.

Newcastle International Airport was crowned the ‘Overall Winner’ at the Routes World Awards 2024.

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The northeastern English airport also retained its title of ‘Airport of the Year‘ in the under 5 million passengers category for the second year running.

From Newcastle International Airport, 16 airlines serve 80 destinations, with onward connections to over 325 locations.

Over the last year, the English airport has added several new routes, with its route development strategy focusing on sustainable growth.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, four new airlines have started operating from the airport with 41 new routes also being added to its line-up.

Director of Aviation Development at Newcastle International Airport, Leon McQuaid, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won this prestigious Routes World award.

“A big thank you to all our airline partners for nominating us; this is incredible recognition for everyone working at Newcastle Airport.

“We truly appreciate the support of our airline partners, who continue to invest in the Newcastle market and provide vital connectivity for the northeast England region.”

Just last week, Newcastle International Airport was named the best airport in the UK and Ireland at the 2024 Travel Industry Awards.

The awards, which were organised by the national trade magazine Travel Trade Gazette (TTG), are voted for by travel and tourism experts.

Newcastle was recognised for its exceptional customer service, operational excellence and commitment to a fairer travel industry.

New routes from Newcastle Airport

Despite its small size, Newcastle International Airport continues to welcome new routes to Brit-loved destinations.

Sun Express, a joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish airlines, is set to start launching a new service from Newcastle to Dalaman, Turkey.

The twice-weekly route to Dalaman will start operating from May 4, 2025, with additional flights to Antalya also being added to the airport’s roster.

Chris Ion, aviation development manager at Newcastle Airport, previously said that the airport had seen a “fantastic response” since SunExpress launched flights to Turkey from Newcastle airport and delighted services will expand further in 2025.

Full list of the Routes World Awards 2024 winners

The Routes awards celebrate the partnerships between airlines and the destinations, and highlight the best practice within the industry. So, what airports came out on top?

• Under 5 Million passengers – Newcastle International Airport
• 5-10 Million passengers – Edmonton International Airport
• 10-20 Million passengers– Prague Airport
• Over 20 Million passengers – Singapore Changi Airport
• Destination – Deputy Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Cyprus
• Airline – British Airways
• Rising Star – Michael Garko, Senior Network & Scheduling Analyst, Sun Country Airlines
• Individual Leadership – Jay L Lingeswara, Vice President, Commercial, VietJet Air 
• Overall Winner – Newcastle International Airport

Tour operator Jet2 has also added another route from Newcastle International Airport to its summer 2026 programme.

Flights from Newcastle to Preveza, Greece, will begin operating on May 26, 2026.

One-way fares from Newcastle International Airport to Preveza will start from £95 per person, with fares shooting up in the school summer holidays.

Located south of Corfu, Preveza is home to Monolithi Beach, the longest beach in Europe.

Ryanair is also launching another new route from Newcastle Airport, following on from the success of other services.

A Ryanair route to Marrakech will launch in October, just in time for the winter season.

Earlier this year, Jet2 also added five extra routes from Newcastle.

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