The Tyne and Wear Metro link to Newcastle Airport has marked the 15th anniversary of its opening, (November 22), with passenger numbers soaring as more people take short breaks.
Almost 900,000 people have used Airport station last year - the largest number since the station was first opened in 1991.
Passenger figures for people boarding at Airport have gone up by 25 per cent in the last four years, matching the expansion of the airline market.
And in recent months the 'Roy Keane' factor has played its part - with up to 600 Irish football fans flying in at weekends to see Sunderland play at home - and exploiting the direct Metro link to Stadium of Light.
Bernard Garner, Director General of Nexus, said: “More and more people are discovering Metro offers a quick, reliable and good value journey to the Airport - and that's both local people and visitors to North East England.
“Nexus delivered the Airport extension 15 years ago today and since then it has become an asset for the whole region - it still provides the shortest journey time between an airport and a city centre in the UK.
“Metro is perfect for the cost-conscious short break traveller who wants to get between city centre and airport quickly at minimum cost. The rush of football fans coming from Ireland shows just how valuable it is to have the right public transport in place.”
Graeme Mason, Planning, Development and Facilities manager at Newcastle Airport said: “We have been working in partnership with Nexus over many years to deliver a greater percentage of our passengers to the Airport by public transport. Our investment in the Metro and other public transport is now reaping real benefits for both Nexus and the Airport.
“I personally have used the Metro to travel to work at the Airport for the last 15 years and I am delighted at the huge increase in fellow Metro users I have seen, particularly in recent years. We at the Airport are very keen to strengthen our partnership with Nexus in readiness for further growth at the Airport.”
The journey time from Newcastle city centre to Airport is just 20 minutes and from Sunderland city centre 40 minutes.
The number of passengers boarding at Airport Metro station has risen steadily from 280,000 in 2002 to more than 360,000 in 2005/6. More than 518,000 used Metro to catch flights from Newcastle - taking the total number of people using the station to 880,000 in 2005/6.
And with an estimated ten million passengers expected to be flying from Newcastle Airport by 2016, and 15 million by 2030, the future is looking bright for both the airport and for Metro patronage.
The extension of the Metro to Newcastle Airport was opened in November 1991 at a cost of £12m. It was a 3.5km extension to the Metro network which saw a new station built on the airport site and a new park and ride facility built at nearby Callerton, Callerton Parkway.
The success of the airport Metro line comes just a week after Nexus revealed that the number of passengers using the Metro has gone up by almost 500,000 in the last year, a rise of 1.4% to 36,635,000. The figures are based on Nexus’ continuous monitoring of passenger journeys.
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