DIRECT flights from Newcastle to Stavanger have re-started this week.

Airline Loganair has also launched a new route that further strengthens ties between the North East and Norway, with flights from Newcastle to Bergen set to begin from Saturday, May 21.

The service to Stavanger is said to be particularly significant for the North East’s energy sector, which has close ties with the city. Four flights per week will be reinstated, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Flights to Bergen, Norway’s second largest city, will operate on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

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Leon McQuaid, Director of Aviation Development at Newcastle International Airport, said: "We have a strong working partnership with Loganair who have continued to invest at Newcastle International Airport and in the region, routes now include Stavanger and Bergen alongside the airline’s existing operations to Exeter, Newquay and Southampton.

“As far back as 1937, Stavanger was the first international destination from Newcastle International Airport and 85 years later, Loganair have ensured the North East remains connected to ‘the Oil Capital of Norway’.

Stavanger is also home to one of the country’s most popular attractions – Pulpit Rock, and Bergen, twinned with Newcastle City, is home to Bryggen, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

"As well as having strong links to the oil and gas industry, both of these destinations in Norway offer passengers a gateway to the country’s great outdoors, surrounded by mountains and fjords and traditional towns to explore.”