First Flight To Portugal In 13 Years Takes Off From Teesside

The first holiday flight to Portugal in nearly 13 years has today (16 June) jetted off from Teesside International Airport.

Ryanair has launched the flights to Faro, the capital of the country’s popular Algarve region, following strong sales to its other destinations.

Portugal is the latest popular Ryanair service to depart from the airport and joins Palma in Majorca and Alicante, both launched earlier this month.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “This is the third of Ryanair’s four routes to take to the skies from Teesside Airport.

“Ryanair came to our airport with two popular destinations, the much-requested Majorca and Alicante, and thanks to the uptake of these flights by local people, it allowed them to expand by adding two more destinations in rapid succession.

“This proves that with the right flights and the right investment, local people when given a proper choice, are keen to use their local airport and help to make it the success we know it can be.”

Mike and Chris Spence from Heighington in Darlington were two people taking advantage of the new route, flying from the airport for the first time since 2004 to get to their holiday home in the Algarve.

Mike said: “We had booked tickets to fly out from Newcastle but when this route went on sale we cancelled those and rebooked to fly from Teesside. We couldn’t miss the opportunity to fly from our local airport and it’s just magical to be back again.

“The staff are so excited and passionate about all of the improvements and it comes across in how they deal with the passengers. It was also a huge relief to see the new bag scanners in the security area so we didn’t have to empty our bags and pass things through separately. We’re over the moon to be using the airport again and we can’t wait to keep using it in the future.”

To make sure passengers to these destinations, and others served by the airport, have a stress-free start to their trip, Teesside Airport has recently completed a multimillion-pound terminal transformation. New state-of-the-art bag and body scanners make passing through check-in and security smoother than ever, and travellers can now relax in one of the airport’s two bars or lounges.

Before you fly, check out the latest Government rules on international travel and guidance for using the airport by visiting www.teessideinternational.com/covid