BYE bye baby - that was the message from Durham Tees Valley Airport yesterday, as it unveiled new services to help compensate for the loss of eight routes from low-cost airline bmibaby.

From February 13, Ryan-air will operate a new route to Barcelona from the airport, which the company estimates will carry 45,000 passengers a year and will run three flights a week.

To mark the announcement, the airline, which has a base at Barcelona Girona airport, flew in an aircraft emblazoned with the slogan Bye Bye Baby.

Two weeks ago, Durham Tees Valley was left reeling after the announcement that bmibaby was axing its base in the region, and with it, flights from the airport to destinations including Alicante, Palma, Malaga and Jersey.

Figures show that bmi-baby flights carry about a third of the 1.1 million passengers who fly from Dur-ham Tees Valley each year.

All the airline's scheduled services will stop by November 6.

But yesterday, the announcement of the new Spanish route was hailed as a step forward for the airport and for the North-East.

Caroline Baldwin, Ryan-air's marketing manager, told a press conference there was huge potential for the region with the launch of the service.

She said: "We have a massive brand presence in that part of Spain, and we would expect the route to Durham Tees Valley to carry a considerable amount of in-bound passengers, as well as allowing people in the region to visit popular destinations in Spain."

Peel Holdings, which owns Durham Tees Valley, has plans for the airport to expand, and signifciant improvement work is being carried out.

Hugh Lang, the airport's managing director, said: "There have been significant investments made, and Ryanair's commitment to this airport gives us confidence to make future investment."