Newcastle Airport has aCivil 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 5–15million passengers annually byAirports Council International (ACI) for the second consecutive year.[3]
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 atWoolsington, about 5 mi (8.0 km) northwest of the city centre.[5] The airport was opened on 26 July 1935 as Woolsington Aerodrome by theSecretary of State for Air, SirPhillip Cunliffe-Lister. Incorporating a clubhouse,hangar, workshops, fuel garage and grassrunway, it cost £35,000 to build.[6] The airport became the base for the Newcastle upon Tyne Flying Club, which moved from its previous home atCramlington Aerodrome and ran the new airport on behalf of the council.[7] On 1 June 1939,No. 43 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School, operated by Newcastle Flying Club and equipped with a mixture ofde Havilland Tiger Moths,Miles Magisters andHawker Hinds opened at Woolsington, as one of a large number of civil-operated flying schools set up to train aircrew for theRAF. The school was disbanded on 3 September 1939, with the outbreak of theSecond World War.[8][9]
In 1940, the airfield was occasionally used to operate detachments ofSupermarine Spitfire fighters fromRAF Acklington-based72 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 theDurham University Air Squadron from February 1941, and from 1942 to 1943 by detachments fromNo. 278 Squadron RAF, operatingWestland Lysander andSupermarine Walrus in the air sea rescue role.[10]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 forNo. 62 OTU, based atRAF Ouston.[10] Woolsington was handed back to the council in 1946.[11]
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;[13] in the same decade it was re-branded as Newcastle Airport. The 1980s saw further investment incheck-in,catering andduty-free shops. In 1991,Airport Metro station opened, connecting the airport withNewcastle City Centre using theTyne and Wear Metro system.
In August 2004, an extended and refurbished Departure Terminal was opened. The refurbishment included a 3,000 m2 (32,000 sq ft) extension with new shops, cafes and 1,200 new seats for waiting passengers.[14]
Rapid expansion in passenger traffic has led to increasing commercial use of the south side of the airport. This was previously used forgeneral aviation, but is now used for freight, mail and corporate flights. This is partially due to difficulties obtaining departure and arrival slots forlight aircraft traffic, which need to be separated from larger aircraft to protect againstwake turbulence. As part of the Airport Master Plan, the south-side area is to be expanded with maintenance facilities including newhangar and apron areas.[16]
In January 2007, it was announced thatEmirates were to begin a daily non-stop service toDubai from the airport. This service started on 7 September 2007 and has operated ever since.[17] Until 2012, the route was flown by anAirbus A330. Since September 2012 it has been flown by aBoeing 777. Also in 2007, now defunct carrierFlyglobespan shortly connected Newcastle withHamilton, Ontario, through this serving the greaterToronto area. Services were discontinued the same summer.[18]
In May 2015,United Airlines commenced its summer seasonal route from Newcastle to New York-Newark. The service operated five times per week onboardB757-2 through September.[19] However, 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.[20]
In July 2017, it was announced that the airport would be investing £3million on a terminal expansion project which is part of overall £20million improvement plans running from 2016 to 2017.[21] 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.[21]
Until 2019,Jet2.com frequently linked its base in Newcastle withNewark duringChristmas time. However, these services have not been resumed since the onset of theCOVID-19 pandemic in 2020.[18]
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.[22] However, since this decision the airline resumed its operations toPalma de Mallorca[23] andGeneva[24] in 2022 as well asAlicante,Amsterdam andParis Charles de Gaulle in 2024.[25][26] andMálaga and a winter seasonal route toLyon in 2025.
In March 2022,Ryanair opened its new base at Newcastle and announced ten 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.[27]
In April 2023,TUI announced its 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 toSal,Cape Verde andSharm El Sheikh,Egypt.[28]
In May 2025, EasyJet announced that they would be reopening their base at the airport, after closing the base during the pandemic. The airline announced that they would be basing three aircraft from the start of summer 2026 with 11 new destinations, bringing their total number of routes up to 19.[29]
Newcastle Airport Freight Village is south of the airport and includesEmirates SkyCargo 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.[30]
In April 2016,Emirates reported that flown exports have soared to £310million per year since the arrival of the Emirates service from Newcastle to Dubai.[31] The Dubai route contributes some £600m to the economy and has opened new export avenues to North East firms, some of whom have opened offices in theUnited Arab Emirates.[31]
The airport is also home to the Newcastle Airport Fire Academy.[32][33] TheNewcastle Aviation Academy is also located within this area. WhenGill Airways operated, its head office was in the New Aviation House, on the airport property.[34] The south side of the airport also has a base for theNational Police Air Service.[35] 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.[36]
The airport saw significant growth in the ten years to 2007, when passenger numbers peaked at 5.65million, more than double the number handled ten years earlier. Passenger numbers declined in the subsequent four years due to the2008 financial crisis, but later recovered, with around 5.3million passengers passing through the airport in 2018 (close to the 2006 total), although cargo volumes have broadly increased to record levels since 2005.
On 30 November 2000, aPiper Aerostar registered N64719 en route toIceland from Newcastle International Airport, crashed close toFortingall, on the north side ofLoch Tay inPerthshire, 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.[95]
^"Airport Data 2023". UK Civil Aviation Authority. 11 April 2024. Tables 12.1 (XLS) and 12.2 (XLS).Archived from the original on 26 March 2024. Retrieved11 April 2024.
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.ISBN1-86126-809-2.
Sinton, J. R. (November 1982). "British Isles' Airports: No 11: Newcastle Airport".Aircraft Illustrated. Vol. 15, no. 11. pp. 494–498.ISSN0002-2675.
Sturtivant, Ray; Hamlin, John; Halley, James J. (1997).Royal Air Force Flying Training and Support Units. Tunbridge Wells, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd.ISBN0-85130-252-1.
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