Newcastle Airport has launched its latest regional marketing campaign, Fly the Newy Way, partnering with the Newcastle Knights, Newcastle Jets and Triple M breakfast presenters Tanya and Steve to encourage travelers across the Hunter and Central Coast to choose local aviation routes over driving to Sydney. The advertising initiative builds on the established That’s the Newy Way brand platform, emphasising local convenience, regional connectivity and cost savings associated with avoiding highway traffic, motorway tolls, and overnight Sydney accommodation.

The multi-channel marketing push follows a record operational period for Newcastle Airport, which handled more than 1.3 million passengers in the 2025–26 financial year and received the Airport of the Year title at the 2026 Australian Aviation Awards. Developed in collaboration with Newcastle creative agency Enigma using local cast and production crews, the campaign will be rolled out across television, radio, social media platforms, digital networks, Newcastle light rail vehicles, regional buses and roadside billboards.

Chief Executive Officer of Newcastle Airport, Linc Horton stated that growing local passenger volumes provides vital data to secure additional direct airline routes and expanded carrier capacity.

“Our network has grown, we now have an international terminal, there are more options for local travellers and we will continue to ambitiously grow that choice,” Linc said.

“When people choose Newcastle, it shows airlines and government that the demand is here and helps us make the case for even more destinations and more choice.”

Executive General Manager of People and Communications at Newcastle Airport, Burcak Sezer explained that the creative concept was designed to reflect regional travel behaviours authentically.

“The Newy Way was created to give Newcastle Airport a voice and personality that reflects the region we serve,” Burcak said.

“It’s about being connected, convenient and authentic, while feeling and sounding like the Hunter. That was an important part of the brief we gave our local creative agency, Enigma. We didn’t want a traditional airport ad that was simply about aircraft or destinations. We wanted to put our people and our region at the heart of it, have some fun with the different ways people travel and create something that would make people stop and think about where they start their journey. That’s also why working with Hunter crew and talent was so important. If we’re going to tell a story about our region, it should be made with our region. The characters, humour and personality bring The Newy Way to life in a way that feels genuinely local. Central to our brief was getting people to pause and think about the whole journey, not just the flight. Once you factor in getting to Sydney, the traffic, tolls and potentially an overnight stay, there is more to consider than the airfare alone. That’s where The Newy Way comes in, encouraging people to think differently about where their journey begins.”

Head of Marketing and Communications at Newcastle Airport, Dylan Parker noted that the visual execution reflects familiar moments of transit.

“We wanted to create something people would enjoy watching and remember. Travel is exciting, chaotic, funny and sometimes a little unpredictable, so we wanted to have some fun with that and bring those moments to life in a distinctly Newy way,” Dylan said.

“We also wanted to capture one of the best parts of flying from Newcastle: when you land, you’re almost home.”

Founder and Director at Enigma, Lisa Sutton Gardner added that local production partnerships bring genuine energy to regional storytelling.

“We loved the ambition Newcastle Airport brought to the brief. They had a really clear vision for how they wanted the campaign to feel and gave us the creative freedom to bring that to life in a fresh and engaging way,” Lisa said.

“Being a local agency, we immediately connected with the vision because it reflects the region we live and work in and the people the campaign is speaking to. It was a great opportunity to build on The Newy Way and create something with real energy, humour and personality that feels distinctly Newcastle.”

IMAGE | Newcastle Airport launches ‘Fly the Newy Way’ regional advertising campaign