RULES to protect threatened flights from Newcastle and Teesside to London by ring-fencing slots at Heathrow and Gatwick have been announced.

The Department for Transport outlined how it planned to introduce Public Service Obligations (PSOs), to ensure the slots were not taken by flights overseas.

The move follows warnings that the North-East and Yorkshire could lose their direct flights to the capital as airlines switch to more lucrative routes abroad.

Nine British airports, including Liverpool and Humberside, have been shut out as the number of regional flights to Heathrow has fallen by 34 per cent since 1988.

Last year, a report by the Commons Transport Select Committee said Newcastle, Teesside and Leeds-Bradford could be next.

It condemned threats by British Airways and British Midland to withdraw further regional services unless extra capacity was provided at Heathrow.

Under the changes, airlines would be expected to give at least four months' notice if they intended to cut services from British cities.

Council and business leaders could then apply for a PSO, which would keep open the slot for up to three years while the search began for a replacement airline.

The Department for Transport announced a three-month consultation with regional bodies, the aviation industry and other interested organisations to decide how the rules should operate.