NEWCASTLE Airport is launching a record number of direct services this week.

This week there is the launch of scheduled flights to Budapest, Copenhagen, Exeter, Rome and Southampton, charter holiday flights to Antalya, in Turkey, and a long-haul charter service to Sharm el Sheikh, in Egypt.

The airport said it was a record number of services to start in one week.

Daily flights to Rome and Budapest with easyJet started yesterday, as did Flybe services to Exeter and South-ampton.

Today, SAS Scandinavian Airlines will start a service to Copenhagen, which will open more than 60 world-wide connections from the Danish capital, to Finland, Eastern Europe, the Baltic, Far East and the US.

EasyJet marketing manager Alistair Buckle said: "Rome will prove an immensely popular destination for people from the North-East.

"The eternal city is one of Europe's greatest cultural magnets, with a nightlife to match Newcastle, but several degrees warmer."

An airport spokeswoman said: "To top off a record-breaking week, Thomas Cook launches its new winter service to Antalya tomorrow, and charter holiday flights to Sharm el Sheikh with Thomson, Thomas Cook and Libra start on Thursday.

"Bookings for the new long-haul destination on the Red Sea Riviera have exceeded expectations, with 50 per cent of seats already sold for the entire season.

"EasyJet launches its daily flights to Geneva on December 15, Ryanair's new route to Milan jets off on February 25 and Hapag-Lloyd Express opens up two new German destinations on March 11 -Cologne/Bonn and Munich.

"These additional routes take the total number of destinations available direct from Newcastle this season to 52."