1940s
The airport was requisitioned as an auxiliary wartime base for the RAF during the Second World War. When it was handed back in 1946 it had a new wooden air traffic control tower that was built on stilts and supported by sections of railway lines.
1950s
Former RAF pilot Jim Denyer was appointed the Aero Club’s chief flying instructor in the summer of 1951. Just a year later in 1952, he was appointed Airport Commandant, then Manager, establishing himself as the driving force behind the development of the airport until his retirement in August 1989 after an incredible 37 years in charge.
In that year Hunting Air Transport commenced flying to Bovingdon in London. Further routes were soon added - to Dublin, Amsterdam and Dusseldorf.
The 1950s saw the start of package holidays, with 'exotic' trips to Isle of Man, Isle of Wight and Channel Islands becoming available from Newcastle Airport. By 1954, scheduled services totalled some 35 per week. Passenger number reached 5,500 a year.
