Staff and passengers at Teesside International Airport observed a minute's silence as the anniversary of 9/11 passed.

The departure lounge at the ariport was virtually deserted and already hushed at 1.46pm when officials asked passengers to observe a minute's silence in memory of those who lost their lives a year ago.

But the emptiness was not because people had decided to avoid air travel on the day. It was simply that there were no flights scheduled at that time.

Some passengers had already boarded planes destined for Dublin and Amsterdam and observed the silence on the runway.

A few people were waiting for relatives arriving on a flight from Heathrow, London.

As the travellers began trickling through the gates, they stopped to bow their heads when they understood the significance of the time.

Airport spokesman John Waiting said Teesside is part of the Airport Operators Association, which had agreed to observe the silence.

He added that the anniversary had not affected passenger numbers at the airport yesterday.

Mr Waiting said: "The load factors going out are as good as, and in many cases higher than, they were a year ago. It certainly has not put off passengers wishing to travel by air.

"I don't know if it's because in the North-East we're a bit more resilient or a bit more stoic in our approach to life, but no-one has been put off by the anniversary of the atrocities in America."