Warmer climates are hot favourites for easyJet's long-awaited decision on where its new route from Newcastle Airport will be bound for.

The news came on the day the airline announced that passengers were flocking to take advantage of low cost flights.

The budget airline and its newly-acquired partner Go saw a big increase in passenger numbers - up to 1,482, 275, a 38 per cent rise compared with November last year.

News of the passenger increase follows easyJet's announcement in October that it plans to set up a base in Newcastle.

It will operate flights from the city airport to three European cities from April, and has asked people to nominate which they would prefer.

Yesterday, a company spokesman said the chosen destinations would be announced soon. "They will be announced in the next week or ten days," he said. "Until then, we are keeping quiet."

But he hinted: "The most popular destinations were in the sun - places like Barcelona, Nice and Malaga."

People were invited to state their preferred destination on the company's website, and could choose from a list of those that Go and easyJet serve from other UK airports.

It now seems unlikely that colder places like Geneva, Copenhagen and Munich will be among the new flights operating from Newcastle.