Thirty new jobs could be created under plans to open a call centre at Shoreham Airport.

Direct Travel Insurance Services wants to convert a small aircraft hangar into an international call-handling office.

The company has grown too big for its offices in Steyning and wants to expand.

It wants to use the airport to transport medical staff to emergencies and to repatriate seriously-ill holiday makers and clients from destinations across Europe.

The firm, which has been operating from Steyning since 1993, has chosen Shoreham to avoid congestion and delays at major airports including Gatwick and Heathrow.

It employs 108 people, half of them full-time, and has 64 on site at any one time.

It has submitted a planning application to Adur District Council to convert the hangar, formerly occupied by aviation simulator manufacturer Quadrant Systems.

The airport is jointly owned by Brighton and Hove City Council and Worthing Borough Council.

The two authorities have already revealed plans to sell the airport to a private operator in a bid to clear debts of nearly £4 million.

Airport manager John Haffenden has told the district council he supports leasing the hangar to Direct Travel Insurance Services.

He said that despite marketing it for six months there had been no interest from aviation companies to continue using it as a hangar because of its size.

The planning committee is being recommended to approve the proposal when it meets on Monday.