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Daily’s departure board front page marks airport name change plan

A regional daily has marked the renaming of an airport on its patch with a front page inspired by a departure board.

The Northern Echo splashed on Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen’s announcement that he will change the name of Durham Tees Valley Airport to Teesside International Airport if his deal to acquire the site is approved next year.

It comes after 93pc of 14,000 people questioned in an online poll backed a change to the Teesside name, by which the airport was known before 2004.

Mr Houchen himself has described Durham Tees Valley as a “made-up name” which “doesn’t exist”.

Northern departure

Editor Hannah Chapman told HTFP: “The future of Durham Tees Valley Airport has been a huge issue locally over the last few years, but when it comes to front page images, there’s only so many times you can use a GV photo of it without boring both ourselves and the readers.

“The confirmation that its name will revert to Teesside International, should the Tees Valley mayor’s deal to buy the site go through, is such a big step that it called for something a bit different.

“We came up with the departure board idea, and our graphic designer Steve Wetton created the image.

“Hopefully the name change, and the new plans for the airport, will see it return to the days when it attracted hundreds of thousands of passengers and was a key transport hub for the region.”

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