A NEW route will be launched between Durham Tees Valley Airport and Bristol which is expected to benefit businesses in the region.

Eastern Airlines is today due to announce the route, which will provide vital air links between the North-East and the South-West.

The airline, one of the UK's fastest-growing regional operators, will provide regional business travellers with three flights each week day to Bristol.

One of the biggest beneficiaries of the route is expected to be mobile phone operator Orange, which has a customer service centre in Darlington. Its head office is in Bristol.

An Orange spokeswoman said: "We do have a lot of staff commuting between Bristol and Darlington so this will be very useful in terms of cutting down journey times. Obviously, it is a very long drive or train journey to Bristol.

"Our staff in North Tyneside use the Newcastle to Bristol route, but we really welcome the route from Durham Tees Valley because it is so convenient for Darlington."

Bristol is an airport gateway to the South-West, Gloucestershire, Somerset and South Wales.

The North-East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) and key employers were consulted by the airline to indicate the level of demand for the service.

An NECC spokesman said: "We were asked by the airport to help establish what demand there was for the service and there was quite a keen response from businesses."

Keith Watson, Eastern Airways' head of sales and marketing, said: "This fast, new air link is great news for Tees Valley and County Durham business travellers as they can arrive in Bristol city centre by 9am without the stress of driving an arduous 300 miles."

A spokesman for Eastern Airways said other sectors in the North-East that would benefit from the service would be the petro-chemical, engineering, finance and steel companies, as there were strong business links between the two regions.

Mark Clarkson, Durham Tees Valley Airport's business development manager, said: "We have been working closely with both the business community and Eastern Airways to deliver a service to Bristol and we are delighted with the news.

"We are convinced that the route will be well supported by both business and leisure passengers."

Services start from October 24 and will take 70 minutes. Week day flights will leave Durham Tees Valley at 6.45am, 1.30pm and 5.15pm, arriving at Bristol at 7.55am, 2.40pm and 6.25pm respectively.

Return services will leave Bristol at 8.25am, 3.10pm and 6.55pm, landing in Durham Tees Valley at 9.35am, 4.20pm and 8.05pm respectively.

Sunday services will take off from Bristol at 3.50pm, arriving in Durham Tees Valley at 5pm, with return flights departing at 5.30pm and landing in Bristol at 6.40pm.