New Lapland day trip from North East with reindeer sleigh rides and meeting Santa

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The Lapland Experience will fly from Teesside International Airport to Lapland in December. In news set to have families longing for winter rather than summer, a festive getaway is being launched in the North East that will pack in a day of Christmassy magic, including a reindeer sleigh ride and a private meeting with Santa. The new one-day trip to the big man's snowy Lapland home in December was announced by Teesside Airport this Monday and is being described as 'a winter getaway of a lifetime'. The Lapland Experience will fly out of Teesside to Rovaniemi, which is Santa's official home, and the festive itinerary also will include husky sledding and snow sledging. There will be a hot buffet lunch too during the December 17 jaunt as well as time to explore the world-famous Santa Claus Village before the return flight to Teesside in the evening. The airport, near Darlington, is teaming up with the Highlands-based Murray Travel Group for the trip. The family-run travel company already operates Lapland getaways from Scotland and says it is 'delighted' to bring the 'bucket list' experience to Teesside. The company's Scott Murray said: 'The response to our previous trips from other airports was incredible and it was genuinely special to see so many families making such magical memories together.' The addition to Teesside's schedules comes after popular Lapland flights with tour operator Transun already sold out for this year. Phil Forster, the airport's managing director, said “It’s fantastic to see even more opportunities for people to experience the magic of Lapland directly from their local airport. These trips have become a real highlight of our winter programme and the continued demand shows just how much people value the convenience of flying from Teesside.' Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has also welcomed news of the trip, as being one of the 'hot and cold options all year round' that are available from the airport, which already has had a 'brilliant start to the summer season with packed flights to Alicante, Faro, Malaga and Majorca', he said. He also advises early booking for The Lapland Experience as demand is expected to be high and tickets will be limited. Bookings are available via The Lapland Experience - see here or call 03332 076 655 - and through selected travel partners.