PASSENGER numbers at Durham Tees Valley Airport have slumped to their lowest for 35 years, The Northern Echo can reveal.

Officials at the airport said it has “borne the brunt” of a difficult period for the aviation industry.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has yet to confirm finalised passenger statistics for 2010, but figures updated last week reveal 225,000 passengers flew from Durham Tees Valley in the 12 months from December 2009 to November last year.

If the trend continued last month, it would represent the lowest annual amount since 1975, when 212,000 passengers flew from the then Teesside Airport.

It is a far cry from 2006 when numbers peaked at 917,963.

Several airlines have pulled out of Durham Tees Valley since 2006 – two years after it changed its name to attract more continental customers.

The rot set in when bmibaby unexpectedly pulled out, sparking a multi-million pound damages claim by DTV’s parent Peel Airports.

Since then, Flyglobespan and Wizz Air have gone, while Thomson has axed services.

There was more bad news last month when Ryanair announced its final route, to Alicante, would not resume.

Newcastle Airport’s figures climbed from 1.5 million in 1990 to four million last year, but have fallen since 2007’s high of 5.6m passengers.

Robin Tudor, a spokesman for Peel Airports, said: “It is a very difficult time for everyone in the aviation industry.”

He said the losses of bmibaby, which accounted for nearly a third of all passengers, and Flyglobespan were particularly upsetting.

But he conceded: “Commercial decisions taken by airlines often reflect the tough economic times or their individual circumstances.

“It is not down to a lack of demand in the airport. We have seen through the years, the demand in the airport is there. We are working to try and get that back.

“It is critical passengers use the services that are there.”

Mr Tudor said it was unlikely any new routes would be introduced this year.

At the end of last year, the owners introduced a £6 charge for all departing passengers.

Neil Kenley, director of business investment at Tees Valley Unlimited, said: “With potential significant job creation in the pipeline linked to Regional Growth Fund applications, it’s more important than ever that this area has its own airport.”

James Wharton, Conservative MP for Stockton South, said: “The airport is extremely important to the economy in this part of the region.

“If we are to see the economy grow, good transport links will be a vital part of the mix.”