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Jet2 is continuing to expand its operations in the UK this week, by releasing five new routes for sale at Newcastle Airport. The “recession busting breaks”, to quote the carrier’s official website, will take off in summer 2012.

Ian Doubtfire, director at Jet2, must be tired of hearing the sound of his own voice. The airline boss has provided commentary for almost all of Jet2’s recent press releases, which number fifteen for the month of June. Mr. Doubtfire, once again, was on hand to talk about Jet2’s expansion at Newcastle, noting that travellers who wished to escape the “hype surrounding Euro 2012” would find a holiday to suit their tastes at the Woolsington hub.

Contrasting with Jet2’s schedules for 2012 at other UK airports, Newcastle will soon find aeroplanes bound for Turkey and the Eastern Mediterranean appearing on its runway. Routes to the Greek islands of Crete, Rhodes, and Corfu, Paphos on Cyprus, and Dalaman in Turkey will enter circulation on an unspecified date in 2012. However, given that Jet2’s new flights from Glasgow Airport begin flying in March next year, it is likely that the same applies for the airline’s upcoming routes from Newcastle.

Travellers may find that booking a package holiday with Jet2’s sister firm, Jet2Holidays, allows them to accrue greater savings than ‘going it alone’ and booking hotels, transfers, etc. separately. The holiday firm is offering a £100 discount on breaks booked before July 4 2011, which means that the price of a seven-night stay in Dalaman could be as low as £199 per person.

Dalaman and Paphos will be served twice a week by Jet2, while flights to Crete, Rhodes, and Corfu will operate on a weekly basis. Prices on the routes begin at £59.99 for a one-way journey.

Grimsvotn, a volcano in southeast Iceland, is the second volcano in as many years to create chaos in the European aviation industry, following on from the antics of Eyjafjallajokull in 2010. Grimsvotn, believed to be the most active of all the volcanoes in Iceland, caused more than 500 flight cancellations in Germany, Scotland, and Northern England, between May 23 and 25 2011.

Newcastle Airport, one of several UK mainland hubs affected by Grimsvotn’s tantrums, was forced to suspend flights to Heathrow Airport, Amsterdam in Holland, and Paris in France, on May 25. The development marked the second time in two days that flights had been cancelled, amid fears that the concentration of volcanic ash in the atmosphere could clog or erode jet engines.

Barra and Tiree airports in the Hebrides, Cumbernauld Airport in Glasgow, and Carlisle Airport in Cumbria, also endured extensive delays, while Durham, Edinburgh, Prestwick, Aberdeen, and Glasgow airports were forced to withdraw flights to a variety of destinations, including domestic routes to the south of England.

Metro, a free newspaper, indicates that British Airways and easyJet were among the airlines that suffered disruption last week. Planes arriving from the continent, or indeed, anywhere south of Carlisle, were redirected to airports with clearer skies, such as Doncaster’s Robin Hood. The Yorkshire hub “gained some aircraft” from Scotland and Newcastle, in order to meet the increased demand for flights.

A spokesperson for Newcastle Airport indicated that normal operations had resumed by the afternoon of May 25. However, delays during the previous day had caused a “hangover” for the hub, with “aircraft in the wrong places”, and departures occurring in a “more complicated fashion”.

Experts had voiced concerns that volcanic ash could return to the skies above the UK on May 27, potentially causing havoc over the bank holiday weekend. However, the eruption of Grimsvotn continued to subside, and was officially declared “finished” by the Icelandic Meteorological Office on the morning of May 28. The remaining ash was blown into the Arctic by strong southwesterly winds.

Newcastle Airport is currently operating as normal, but travellers with concerns about their flight should contact their travel agent or airline before departing for the airport.

Newcastle Airport faces an uncertain future, after a national newspaper revealed that the hub’s majority shareholders are desperate to sell their stake in the Woolsington hub.

Ownership of Newcastle Airport is split between two companies, namely, LA7, with 51%, and Copenhagen Airport, with 49%. The former is a consortium of seven local authorities in the northeast, including the councils of Newcastle, Gateshead, and Sunderland, while the latter is, as its name suggests, a Danish airport.

The Sunday Times claims that LA7 owes £320m on a loan taken out on behalf of the airport in 2006, a loan that, if the broadsheet is to be believed, must be repaid within the next thirty months. However, the holding company cannot afford to begin repayments, and has asked major auditing firm, KPMG, for assistance.

LA7 has refused to comment on “speculation”, but local news website, nebusiness.co.uk, intimated that the council group would not entertain “such a sale” at present. However, the news that Newcastle’s other investor, Copenhagen Airport, has already put its slice of the northeast hub up for sale, suggests that at least 49% of Newcastle Airport will change hands regardless of whether LA7 repays its £320m bill.

Macquarie Bank, an Australian company that funds Copenhagen Airport, has advised the Danish hub to ‘abandon ship’, and extricate itself from Newcastle Airport. While the bank has not revealed its motives, Copenhagen Airport’s escape could be attributed to the state of Newcastle’s finances: the hub saw profits fall by £5.6m between 2008 and 2009.

LA7 is allowed to choose which company purchases Copenhagen’s stake, which will ensure that the day-to-day running of Newcastle Airport is kept in line with current standards.

The largest airport in the northeast, Newcastle, is taking steps to become one of the most eco-friendly businesses in the country. The Woolsington-based hub boosted recycling to 82% in 2010, according to news agency, Reuters, and achieved the coveted Carbon Trust Standard Award, an accolade that rewards companies who reduce their carbon footprint.

Bosses at Newcastle created an ‘energy policy’ late last year, which outlined the short and long-term goals that would allow the airport to operate in a sustainable manner. The eight-point manifesto included a 2.5% cut in energy usage by the end of March 2011, plans to upgrade lighting inside the airport terminal, and a 15% reduction in the hub’s carbon footprint within the next four years.

Of course, there is more to sustainability than light bulbs and emissions, and Newcastle has been encouraging holidaymakers to place their bottles and newspapers into special recycling bins located throughout the airport’s main terminal. The scheme’s success is perhaps best represented in figures: bosses claim to have recycled three tonnes of material since October 2010.

The airport’s quest to reduce the consumption of electricity got off to a flying start last year, courtesy of the Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajokull. During the volcanic ash crisis of mid-2010, the northeast hub was ‘powered down’ for a number of days, as flights were cancelled and customers stayed at home. The brief hiatus in flights lowered energy usage by 7%, significantly higher than the 2.5% reduction called for in the hub’s energy policy.

Simon Fisher, finance director at Newcastle, previously said that the airport takes its “environmental and climate change obligations seriously”. However, Newcastle is not the only UK airport to have improved its environmental karma in recent months. Bristol Airport has installed a wind turbine, while East Midlands Airport near Castle Donnington became the host of a new eco-awareness campaign, Climate Week 2011, in March.

Norwegian airline, Wideroe, has announced plans to increase flight capacity on routes from Newcastle International to the third largest city in Norway, Stavanger. From March 31 2011, the veteran carrier will add an extra flight between the two airports, increasing the service to a total of four per week, and introduce a new Bombardier Dash aircraft onto the route.

Founded in 1934, Wideroe is the Scandinavian equivalent of the UK’s Air Southwest – a predominantly domestic airline that serves small to mid-sized airports. Norway's far-flung settlements, such as the frozen archipelago of Longyearbyen, and the port town of Kirkenes, are connected to the Norwegian capital, Oslo, courtesy of Wideroe.

Wideroe, a resident at Newcastle for more than a decade, says that its upcoming expansion in the northeast will double the number of seats available on its Stavanger route, and cut the overall flight time by 25 minutes. The flight holds a unique position in the airline’s schedules being one of just ten routes operated by the airline to travel outside its native Norway.

Sverre Sletten, regional chief at Wideroe, was elated with recent developments. “We’re delighted to be able to bring in these big improvements to our Newcastle service.” Mr. Sletten said that his airline was “confident” that customer demand was high enough to support the capacity boost.

The Newcastle-Stavanger flight currently operates on Mondays, Fridays, and Sundays. However, the March 31 expansion will see an extra daily connection added on Thursdays. Wideroe will also alter the timetable of Monday flights, to give business travellers “a full day at work” before departing for the UK in the evening.

Stavanger, located in south-western Norway, is an archetypical port city, and the banks of central Vaagen Harbour are lined with recreational boats. The settlement is situated close to the Lysefjord, a 26 mile long fjord ringed by huge rocky slopes. The Lysefjord is alleged to be “as deep as the mountains are high”.

Newcastle International has joined Southampton and Gatwick airports, in becoming the latest hub to embrace social networks as a means of interacting with regular and prospective customers. The northeast hub has created the @NCLairport Twitter page, and unveiled a mobile-friendly version of its website, allowing visitors to check the status of their flight from anywhere in the UK. The airport’s website says that the new tools are part of a plan to “join up social media tools with customer service operations.”

The airport’s Twitter page has been online for just over a month, but it was only revealed to the world, via a press release on Newcastle’s website, on January 27 2011. The Woolsington hub is therefore, making a rather belated entry to the world of social networking, behind almost every airport in the UK, including local rival, Durham, East Devon hub, Exeter, and in Scotland, Prestwick.

A glance at the @NCLairport site reveals that road works, flight delays, and announcements regarding resident airlines form the majority of the airport’s ‘tweets’. However, the website has also drawn comments, both good and bad, from visitors. Some, like @misspipkelly, requested a “bar or an area with Sky Sports,” while others, such as @peterjnixon, were concerned that the departure lounge “wobbles” in the wind.

Newcastle has created a special ‘tweeting team’ to address customers’ concerns. “We look forward to hearing from (our passengers) to see how we can help,” explained Graeme Mason, planning director at the northeast hub.

The Twitter service, whilst providing users with information in ‘real time,’ can also be a liability for airports. Last year, Robin Hood Airport’s Twitter page, @dsa_airport, caused a media storm when a visitor was arrested on charges of sending “menacing” messages to the South Yorkshire hub. The man, Paul Chambers, threatened to blow the airport “sky high,” after bad weather forced the hub to close.

Newcastle Airport’s new mobile website is accessible from any internet-capable device at the usual web address.

From March 27 2011, travellers in the northeast of England will benefit from an extra daily flight from Newcastle Airport to Amsterdam Schiphol in the Netherlands, courtesy of Dutch airline KLM. The carrier says that the boost is a “tangible symbol” of KLM’s strength and popularity in the northeast.

KLM, known as Royal Dutch Airlines in the English-speaking world, is the oldest airline on the planet. The blue and white carrier is also one of just nine world airlines founded before 1930 to have kept its original name throughout its life, alongside Australian airline Qantas, founded in 1920, and ex-Soviet carrier Aeroflot.

History lesson aside, Newcastle is one of KLM’s largest bases in the UK, currently offering four daily flights to Amsterdam. The addition of a fifth rotation from March will boost KLM’s capacity on the route by a quarter over summer 2010. Newcastle’s planning director, Graeme Mason, referred to the expansion as a “strong signal of confidence” in the airport.

German airline Lufthansa has also showered praise on the northeast hub, according to Graeme. The director noted that only the December snows had prevented the airport recording year-on-year growth. The hub stands in stark contrast to its neighbour and rival Durham Tees Valley Airport, which has resorted to charging travellers to pass through security in a desperate attempt to survive the winter.

The flight boost at Newcastle will coincide with a general reshuffling of KLM’s schedules at the airport. Flight times on all Newcastle-Amsterdam connections will change at the end of March, with the earliest departure taking off at 06:05. Passengers can choose to return the same day from the Dutch capital at 21:55.

KLM has also pledged to improve the choice of flights available for travellers who want to travel on to Hong Kong and Dubai from Amsterdam.

Newcastle is about as far away from Barbados as you can get. One is an industrial city, famed for its bridges and the frequently unfortunate football team, Newcastle United, while the other is a Caribbean island, the type of haven that British super spies retreat to at the end of a Hollywood blockbuster.

However, Thomson and First Choice have taken steps to bring the two destinations closer together by announcing a new flight from Newcastle International to Grantley Adams Airport on Barbados. The route, which travels direct to the island, will begin in winter 2011, just as the snowfall begins anew in the UK.

Chris Sanders, aviation director at Newcastle Airport, referred to Thomson’s latest addition as “something a bit different,” noting the “excellent prices” available on the idyllic island.

The North East has never had a direct route to Barbados before, but Thomson flights from Newcastle to Cancún in Mexico, and the Dominican Republic in the Greater Antilles, continue to be popular with local travellers.

From Barbados Airport, holidaymakers can choose to join the Thomson Dream cruise ship on its voyage around the Caribbean. The vessel stops at Saint Martin, famed for its unusual airport, Grenada, Antigua and the Barbadian capital, Bridgetown, among others. Thomson claims that the Dream is one of the biggest cruise ships in the world.

Prices for the flight begin at £679 per person for a return journey. Tickets for the Caribbean Treasures and Tropical Delights cruises are priced between £845 and £1,409, and come with an inclusive £100 to spend on board the ship. The cruises typically last for 7-16 days.

At the end of October, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) published the results of its annual Air Passenger Survey.

The survey, undertaken every year since 1968, is designed to help aviation barons understand the “characteristics of air travel to and from the United Kingdom,” and details the results of more than 200,000 interviews with outbound UK travellers.

Questions ranged from the duration of holidays and the size of travelling groups, to a person’s annual income. The latest survey also introduced questions on environmental issues, such as carbon offsetting.

Passengers at 12 UK airports were surveyed, including four of the five London airports: Heathrow, Stansted, Gatwick, and Luton. Manchester, Newcastle and Durham made up the remainder of the English airports included in the survey.

In Scotland, the two largest airports, Edinburgh and Glasgow, were included, as were Inverness, Aberdeen and Prestwick.

Whilst the project will be of little interest to most people, the survey threw up some interesting statistics, especially with regard to the annual income of respondents. Leisure travellers at Newcastle are the “worst off,” to use the CAA’s phrase, earning an average of £37,663 per year.

In comparison, holidaymakers jetting off from Heathrow earn around £57,532 per year, the highest traveller salary in the country. The London hub also topped the wages poll in the business category, with the average executive departing Heathrow pulling in a salary of almost £80,000 a year.

On the topic of the environment, 60% of passengers at Gatwick and Stansted said that they understood the concept of ‘carbon offsetting,’ a scheme that encourages travellers to pay a higher ticket price to fund eco-friendly projects, such as new wind farms.

However, only a disappointing 6% of interviewees had taken the plunge and offset the flight they had booked, a figure that can only fall unless airlines and airports make a conscious effort to promote the scheme.

The recent rise of the Air Passenger Duty is likely to exacerbate low interest in carbon offsetting by making plane tickets even more expensive, adding up to 50% to the cost of a long-haul flight to the West Indies or South Africa, for example.

Other figures of note include the size of travelling groups: almost 80% of passengers interviewed at Aberdeen were “singletons,” compared to 35% at Manchester Airport. Southwest of Aberdeen, Prestwick Airport was host to the largest family groups in the UK, with 8.4% of families boasting five or more members.

To read a summary of the CAA’s report, visit the official website. The results are also available in tabulated form (.pdf), if you are feeling brave.

Thomas Cook, the self-proclaimed ‘best-known name in travel’, is to expand its base at Newcastle International Airport from mid-2011, adding a fourth plane and reintroducing flights to the Bulgarian city of Bourgas.

A press release on the airport’s website reveals that Thomas Cook will now be able to offer 300,000 seats on 54 flights.

Speaking about the expansion, Thomas Cook CEO Ian Derbyshire thanked the “people of the northeast” for showing “great loyalty” to the airline. “This underlines our commitment to Newcastle Airport,” Ian explained.

The new plane will add 70,000 seats during the peak summer season, allowing Thomas Cook to put on more flights to eight ‘sun and sea’ destinations.

Routes to Larnaca and Paphos in Cyprus, the Canary Island of Tenerife, locations on the Spanish Balearic Islands, Ibiza, Mahón and Palma, and the cities of Izmir and Dalaman in western Turkey will all benefit from extra seats in 2011.

Bourgas (also Burgas) in eastern Bulgaria is perhaps the most surprising addition to Newcastle’s books, as an earlier route to the city from the northeast was unceremoniously cancelled sometime in 2010.

Newcastle’s chief, David Laws, referred to the expansion of Thomas Cook services at the airport as a “fantastic coup” and a “tremendous boost” for the local area.

Thomas Cook will be hoping that its new routes and Newcastle’s 75th birthday celebrations will help deflect attention from a recent travel guide faux pas, in which the holiday company described Glasgow as ‘deprived’ with high levels of violent crime and rampant substance abuse.

Bourgas is not yet available for booking on the Thomas Cook website, but tickets for all routes due to be expanded next year (Larnaca, for example) can be purchased online.