Mayor calls on local firms to “get stuck in” with Teesside Airport transformation

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has called on firms across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool to play their part in expansion of Teesside International Airport as it announces plans for two new 33,000 sq ft hangars on the north side of the airport.

Teesside International Airport has welcomed significant private-sector investment in recent years, including an expansion by defence contractor Draken and a £25m investment from Willis Aviation to create a new aircraft engineering base, with over 200 jobs set to be created.

Oil spill response firm 2Excel also now operates from Teesside Airport following the closure of Doncaster Sheffield Airport late last year. It is hoped that additional hangar space will enable the airport to attract further investment in a push to return to profit.

The announcement follows the appointment of Stockton based firm GMI to build the first 25,000 sq ft unit of the £200m airport Southside Business Park, with work to begin in days.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen commented: “I’m a massive champion of our brilliant local businesses, which is why I’ve put them at the centre of all the work we’ve done at our airport so far. Now that our airport is growing, I’d urge local firms to get stuck in and to help us transform it even further.

“New hangar space at Teesside Airport is critical to landing new investment that’ll bring our airport back to profit and create good-quality jobs for local people. We’ve got the cash from Government to get this done, so now it’s time to turn that into a new opportunity for our great businesses.”

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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