Profit milestone for airport celebrated

IT'S been losing money for more than a decade, and since 2019 the losses at Teesside Airport have had to be absorbed by the taxpayer after it was taken into public ownership by Ben Houchen.

- ROB PARSONS

The Tory Tees Valley mayor had made his bid to transform the fortunes of the struggling airport a key part of his pitch to voters, referring frequently to the decision as he successfully ran to be re-elected in May.

So it's no surprise Lord Houchen was keen this week to talk about the fact that the airport is now celebrating its first profits in more than a decade, telling journalists the airport was 'about to stand on its own two feet.'

The 2023-24 accounts confirmed £308,555 earnings before interest, tax and other considerations, on annual revenues of £14.5m. But managing director Phil Forster tells Local Democracy Reporter Gareth Lightfoot the airport still ran with a '£3m operating loss.'