Teesside airport surpassed the past 11 years of passenger numbers in the first nine months of 2023, new figures reveal.
The airport near Darlington handled 178,523 passengers between January and September – more than each year’s full 12-month figures since 2011.
September was the best month for more than a decade, with 27,178 passengers handled.
The airport will beat 2011’s year-end numbers of 217,000 if figures for the final three months remain the same as last year.
This summer has seen the airport achieve its busiest period since returning to public ownership in 2019 with passenger numbers up 25% year-on-year.
Dalaman has been added as a new destination for next summer, expanding a network for holidaymakers that includes Alicante, Bulgaria, Corfu, Faro and Majorca.
Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen said: “Just five short years ago before we bought the airport, many people would have found it unthinkable that our airport could break the 200,000-passenger barrier any more.
“These figures show we were right to bring the airport back into public ownership and there’s a huge appetite for local people to fly from Teesside when they travel.
“As we look to the 2024 season, I’ve no doubt we’ll be hitting even more milestones thanks to our popular routes and easy, relaxed and friendly airport experience.”