BOSSES at Teesside Airport say low-cost flights to Rome will open the floodgates for tourism in the region, attracting 100,000 passengers a year and creating 100 jobs.

The service, announced yesterday by budget carrier Ryanair, will begin operating daily from the airport from the end of January next year.

Airport managing director Hugh Lang said the flights were part of a plan to make Teesside a hub for tourism to the region, which would see the airport double in size in the next two years.

"It is very exciting news, but it is important we don't see it in isolation," he said.

"We want to develop the airport as a gateway to the North-East, and this news is a key part of that plan."

The Ryanair flight will operate to Rome's Ciampino Airport and the budget carrier, which already has a flight to Dublin from Teesside, said it would save consumers in the region £10m.

The airport is to be re-branded as Durham Tees Valley at the end of this month and plans are under way to build a second terminal building. Mr Lang said the airport was courting interest from other airlines and working with North-East tourist groups to raise the region's profile abroad.

He said: "There are some wonderful tourist sites in the area all within easy access. York is a short trip south and up the road we have the world heritage site of Durham. We need to work on increasing awareness of that."

Ryanair flies to 19 UK airports and markets itself as Europe's cheapest airline.

Ryanair commercial manager David Usher said the decision to choose Teesside for the new route was mutually beneficial.

He said: "We always favour regional airports because it allows us to have a much quicker turnaround time.

"We also saw the huge potential that was here in the North-East in terms of passenger numbers.

"The effect of making Teesside a Ryanair destination from Italy will mean passengers come here who ordinarily wouldn't have considered it, because of the curiosity factor and the low cost of our flights."