RYANAIR has announced a new base opening in Newcastle for summer ’22.

The new base will support jobs and tourism and will give a much needed boost to UK customers and the economy, the company has said.

It will deliver:

Two based aircraft (£150m investment)

60 direct jobs

400+ indirect jobs

19 routes in total

12 new routes to destinations such as Zadar, Paphos, Chania, Milan, Riga, Ibiza, Menorca, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Krakow

63 departing flights per week

To celebrate the launch of Newcastle’s summer ’22 schedule, Ryanair has launched a seat sale with fares from £26.99 for travel until October 31 2022 which must be booked by midnight Sunday, August 8 on the Ryanair.com website.

Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson said: “We have seen massive demand for flights from Newcastle this summer as UK customers flock to the beaches of Spain and Portugal and now customers will have much wider choice next summer with the addition of these 12 new routes."

Nick Jones, chief executive at Newcastle International Airport, added: "Today's announcement from Ryanair to base two aircraft at Newcastle International Airport for summer 2022 is very significant news for both the airport and the region.

"Ryanair’s investment is a sign of growing confidence and will provide the North-East public with a great selection of new destinations and extra weekly frequencies, providing more options for leisure and business travel.

"This will create new jobs for pilots, cabin crew and engineering alongside support services, and will generate economic value for the wider area.

"The two based aircraft will see the number of routes operated from Newcastle by Ryanair increase from 7 to 19, including some exciting new destinations such as Milan and Riga. These new routes, alongside extra capacity on current services to destinations, provides our customers with choice not only on where to travel but also on the length of time when visiting friends and family, on holiday or away on business.

"We are delighted with the news and look forward to welcoming Ryanair, their crew and staff to their new home at Newcastle International Airport in the near future."