Teesside International Airport returns after landslide public vote

A North East airport has today unveiled a step-back-in-time rebrand and name change after a landslide ballot from Teesside residents.

Durham Tees Valley Airport has reverted back to its original name of Teesside International Airport after 93 per cent of a 14,000-strong pool of residents voted to reinstate the former RAF airfield’s original name.

The campaign formed a major part of Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen’s election charge in 2017, during which he pledged to bring the airport back into public ownership and give residents the option to return the airport to its original name. The airport was sold to private industrial company Peel Holdings in 2004, who subsequently changed its name to Durham Tees Valley, in 2004.

After Houchen took the airport back into public hands in March 2019, Stobart Aviation was named as the airport’s new operators, with the aim of using its extensive aviation experience to support the Tees Valley Mayor’s 10 Year Rescue Plan for the airport.

Unveiling a new logo today, which incorporates the brand’s original blue and green colours as well as a nod to one of Teesside’s most famous landmarks, Roseberry Topping, the Mayor praised the efforts of the in-house design team that completed the rebrand, and explained why the change means so much.

“Despite my job title, I know that people prefer Teesside to Tees Valley,” he said. “When I speak to international investors they don’t know where Durham Tees Valley is either. For me, our airport name should reflect a brand people know and understand.

“Last week we announced the first flights to Spain from this airport for seven years. We’re making good progress on our 10 Year Rescue Plan to restore Teesside International to its former glory.”

Having completed a full programme of summer holiday charter flights in 2019, Balkan Holidays recently confirmed it will run a second summer of holidays from the airport in 2020, with JetsGo Holidays announcing earlier this month that from summer 2020, flights will take off to Majorca, Spain.

Other principle airlines providing services at the airport include KLM whose regular flights to their Amsterdam Schiphol hub provides access to their worldwide flight network, and Eastern Airways, which operates regular services to Aberdeen.