Businesses in the region have received a big boost with the launch of the twice-daily scheduled service to Paris from Humberside International Airport.

David Bolton, of Air France, joins cabin crew Paula Hardy, Phillipa Watson and Nicola Kinsey, and Humberside International Airport managingdirector Richard Jenner to toast the launch of the new service

The flights are operated by Gill Airways as the exclusive franchise of Air France, providing worldwide connections via Paris Charles de Gaulle airport.

Humberside Airport research has long shown the strong demand by regional businesses for a route to Paris to complement the existing three-times daily service to Amsterdam with KLM uk.

The Paris service means that in just over 12 months seat availability form Humberside Airport to worldwide hubs has more than doubled.

Meanwhile, in a bid to attract investment to enable further growth, Humberside Airport is expected to come under the control of Manchester International Airport later this month.

The deal involves an 82.6 per cent stake in Humberside Airport. Three of the four unitary authorities which own the airport - Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, and North-East Lincolnshire - are to sell their shares. Only North Lincolnshire Council voted to hold on to its 17.4 per cent stake.

Leeds Bradford International Airport saw 281,504 passengers passing through its portal in the fist quarter of 1999 - a four per cent increase compared with the same period last year. The largest increase was on the Paris route operated by British Midland, which saw a 105 per cent increase with the corresponding period in 1998.

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