Newcastle Airport is delighted to announce that one of its newest bar and restaurants, Aster & Thyme, has been nominated for a prestigious international award.
The Moodie Davitt Report ‘Airport Food and Beverage + Hospitality Awards’ are the world’s only awards that celebrate the best in global airport hospitality. This year, Newcastle Airport’s Aster & Thyme outlet has been nominated in the Airport Bar of the Year category, alongside other outlets in airports including Gatwick, Ontario, Bali, Hong Kong and Dubai.
Aster & Thyme was launched at Newcastle Airport by travel food and beverage specialists SSP earlier in 2024, and is part of the Airport’s recent £20m investment in the passenger experience. The bar and restaurant offer stunning floor to ceiling views of the airfield, a well-stocked bar and a selection of breakfast, lunch and dinner menus serving the best of local produce – including North Sea kippers and local artisan cheese boards. Increasing the previous outlet’s size by over 130%, the new premium restaurant and bar comes with a botanical themed interior design complimented by marble and brass finishes.
Kari Daniels, CEO of SSP UK & Ireland, said: “With vibrant décor and expansive views of the airfield, Aster & Thyme offers customers a memorable start to their holiday. It offers a premium experience, built around an eye-catching bar, serving a diverse range of beverages, many of which are from the North East, to offer a local flavour at an international airport.”
Dean Ward, Director of Commercial said: “Feedback from passengers so far about Aster & Thyme has been fantastic. It is the perfect place to relax prior to your flight, offering exceptional views, excellent cocktail and drinks menus and delicious food options. “We have a very close working relationship with SSP and this project has been no exception, it’s fantastic to see all of that hard work being rewarded with this international award nomination.”
Newcastle Airport was the first UK regional airport to install the next generation security technology which enables passengers to leave all electronics and liquids in their hand luggage. Over the winter period it has refurbished the majority of the catering outlets in the departure lounge, providing passengers with more local, gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options.
The Airport has also recently opened the world’s first 3-tier lounge product, in conjunction with Aspire. Providing passengers with a range of lounge options to suit all budgets.
Newcastle Airport is preparing for a busy summer season, during which it expects to welcome over 3.5 million passengers. The Airport provides passengers with over 80 direct destinations with 16 airline partners, as well as daily flights to multiple hubs throughout the globe, providing seamless one-stop connectivity to hundreds of destinations across the world.
The Airport’s newest airline partner, AEGEAN, has returned for a second summer season with twice-weekly flights to the Greek capital of Athens. Whilst TUI, one of the airport’s largest airline partners, will operate its biggest ever programme from the Airport this summer, with new flights to Cape Verde and Sharm el Sheikh also being added to the airline’s route network.
Ryanair have added more flights to multiple destinations including Barcelona, Malaga and Zadar. Whilst Jet2.com and Jet2holidays have added new flights to Chania and increased flights to multiple destinations including Reus, Girona, Bodrum and Verona.
easyJet is continuing to expand at the Airport, with new flights to Alicante operating this summer and flights to Amsterdam on sale from September. For those wishing to fly further afield, passengers can continue to connect via multiple global hubs including a daily flight to Dubai with Emirates, up to five flights a day to Amsterdam with KLM and up to seven flights a day to London Heathrow with British Airways.