Newcastle Airport is hoping to reinstate flights across the Tasman, in an effort to capitalise on Newcastle's current high profile as a top tourism destination.

With Newcastle named in international travel guide, Lonely Planet's top ten tourism destinations for 2011, Newcastle Airport is confident the demand is there for direct flights from Newcastle to New Zealand.

Several airlines are interested, but the sticking point is the customs and immigration facilities needed for international passengers.

Airport managers will travel to Canberra in coming weeks to discuss the minimum immigration, customs and quarantine requirements needed for the trans-Tasman flights.

Manager of Aviation and Business Development, David Nye says at the moment there is a generic template for international airports around Australia, whether it is a capital city or regional facility.

"There tends to be a requirement for search rooms of a specific size, all incoming baggage to be x-rayed, having sniffer dogs," he said.

"So what we're saying is, that's all well and good when you've got flights coming from all directions of the globe.

"But passengers from Auckland or Christchurch coming into Newcastle, do they really have to go through all those processes, when it's acknowledged that NZ is a low-risk destination?

"We're looking at ways that we can accommodate international flights within the existing terminal, so we can go to the authorities in Canberra and give them a footprint."

The airport is aiming to invest up to AU$10 million upgrading its terminal to accommodate up to three trans-Tasman flights a week.