A NORTH-EAST software business is leading the way in cashing in on the trading opportunities created by the region's latest flight path between Newcastle and Dubai.

Tyne and Wear company Datawright has recently expanded its team to develop the Middle East-based side of the business, appointing a business development manager with extensive experience in the global energy utilities sector.

And the company, based in Washington, estimates at least £1m-worth of new business could be generated in the short-term as a result, and is preparing to branch out into the Middle Eastern and Asian markets.

Multi-million pound turnover Datawright already operates worldwide, with clients in North America and Europe as well as Dubai, Sharjah and Kuwait.

Several of its staff are now working "Middle East hours" in the office - from 5am to 1pm, Sunday to Thursday - to ensure that customers overseas receive the same level of support service as their UK counterparts.

The region's latest long-haul flight from Newcastle to Dubai, run by Emirates Airlines, was launched on September 1, and has been hailed as crucial for the North-East's international trading links.

David Frame, sales and marketing director at Datawright, said: "The new direct flight has already paid off for us in terms of business possibilities.

"We estimate that at least £1m-worth of business could be generated in the short-term, and see this move as one of the most exciting regional business catalysts of recent years, and one that opens up the overseas trade market to the benefit of the whole of the North-East economy.

"Visiting our Dubai clients in the past meant transferring at Charles de Gaulle, in Paris, or Schipol, in Amsterdam, or driving to Birmingham to get flights, but this new route cuts journey times in half and makes the region much more accessible, not just for sales staff, but for our training and support people.

"We plan to expand our business significantly in the United Arab Emirates, and in destinations such as Asia and Australasia, to which Dubai provides a valuable stepping stone."