Leeds Bradford Airport
Leeds Bradford International Airport File:LeedsBradford-IA-Logo.png | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | Bridgepoint Capital | ||||||||||
| Operator | Leeds Bradford International Airport Limited | ||||||||||
| Serves | West and North Yorkshire | ||||||||||
| Location | Yeadon, Leeds, West Yorkshire | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 681 ft / 208 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 53°51′57″N 001°39′38″W / 53.86583°N 1.66056°W | ||||||||||
| Website | www.lbia.co.uk | ||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2008) | |||||||||||
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Leeds Bradford International Airport (IATA: LBA, ICAO: EGNM) is located in the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The nearest town is Yeadon, and the airport is sometimes locally referred to as Yeadon Airport. It serves the cities of Leeds and Bradford, as well as the wider Yorkshire region. The airport was in public ownership until May 2007, when it was sold for £145.5 million to Bridgepoint Capital.[3]
Leeds Bradford has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P800) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction. The airport is also the highest in England at an elevation of 681 ft (208 m).[4] By the number of passengers handled, Leeds Bradford is the 16th busiest in the UK, Yorkshire's largest and Europe's 99th busiest airport.
History
 | This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. (January 2008) |
Early history
The airport was opened as the "Leeds and Bradford Municipal Aerodrome" (Yeadon Aerodrome) on 17 October 1931 and was operated by the Yorkshire Aeroplane Club on behalf of Leeds and Bradford Corporations. In 1935 the aerodrome was expanded by 35 acres (140,000 m2) and scheduled flights began on 8 April 1935 with a service by North Eastern Airways from London (Heston Aerodrome) to Newcastle upon Tyne (Cramlington). The service was soon extended to Edinburgh (Turnhouse). In June 1935 Blackpool and West Coast Air Services started a service to the Isle of Man. By 1936 the London/Yeadon/Newcastle/Edinburgh service was flying three times a week and also stopped at Doncaster and carried on to Aberdeen (Dyce).
In 1936, No.609 (West Riding) Squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), Royal Air Force (RAF) formed at Yeadon, and seasonal flights between Yeadon and Liverpool commenced. Work also began on a terminal building, but progress was halted after only one section had been completed.
Wartime use
Civil aviation at Yeadon was curtailed in 1939, with the outbreak of World War II. Avro built a new shadow factory, to produce military aircraft, just to the north of the aerodrome; a taxiway connected the factory to the aerodrome and many of the aircraft first flew from Yeadon. The aircraft manufactured included the Bristol Blenheim (250), the Lancaster bomber (695), the Anson (over 4,500), the York (45) and the Lincoln (25).
Significant developments were made to the aerodrome; the addition of two runways, taxiways and extra hangarage led to Yeadon becoming an important site for military aircraft testing.
1947 to 1969
Civil flights recommenced at the airport in 1947, and subsequently Yeadon Aviation Ltd was formed in 1953 to run the Airport and Aero Club. Two years later in 1955 flights to Belfast, Jersey, Ostend, Southend, the Isle of Wight and Düsseldorf were added to Yeadon's destination list.
Scheduled flights to London began in 1960, and Dublin was added shortly after. A new runway was opened in 1965, and in that year the terminal building was destroyed by a fire, with a replacement terminal opened by 1968.
1970 to 1994
By the mid 1970s the package holiday had become popular in the UK and in 1976 the first holiday charter flight to the Iberian Peninsula departed Leeds Bradford.
In 1978, it was decided that, with runway extensions, the airport could be upgraded to regional airport status. Work began in 1982, and was completed in November 1984. This included a significant extension to the main runway, including the construction of a tunnel to take the A658 Bradford to Harrogate road beneath the runway. The airport also underwent significant extensions and redevelopments to the Terminal building, the first phase of which was opened in 1985.
On 4 November 1984, the day the runway extension was officially opened, Wardair commenced transatlantic flights from Leeds Bradford to Toronto, using Boeing 747s, though these flights were later discontinued.
In August 1986, an Air France Concorde charter flight from Paris landed at Leeds Bradford for the first time, and an estimated 60,000 people were there to see it. Occasional Concorde charter flights, all of which used British Airways aircraft, continued until June 2000, just one month before the Concorde disaster in Paris.
Initially the airport had restricted operating hours, and this deterred many charter airlines, whose cheap fares depended on 'round-the-clock' use of their aircraft. In 1994, these restrictions were removed and flights could use the airport 24 hours a day,[5] so more airlines were attracted to Leeds Bradford.
1995 to date
Work on the airport terminal has been ongoing since 1996, and the result of this has been significant growth in terminal size and passenger facilities. In 2007 nearly 2.9 million passengers passed through the airport, an 88% increase in just seven years and more than twice as many compared with 1997 (1.2 million). Much of the growth in passenger numbers since 2003 has been due to the introduction of scheduled flights by the based low-cost airline Jet2.com.
Since 2000 the airport has been home to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
The original runway, 09/27, closed on 6 October 2005, to be redeveloped as a taxiway and to provide additional apron space.
In 2006 Isle of Man based airline Manx2 re-opened the airport's oldest air route, to the Isle of Man.[6]
2008 saw the introduction of long-haul scheduled flights to Islamabad with Shaheen Air International. This service was introduced in February but ceased after only four months due to a shortage of aircraft.[7] A twice-weekly service to Islamabad with Pakistan International Airlines began in July, utilising Airbus A310-300 aircraft.[8][9]
In November 2008, the early stages of the airport masterplan were clarified, with in-depth detailed plans for the expansion of the airport terminal being published, at an estimated cost of £28million. November 2008 also saw the introduction of another long-haul route to New York Newark Airport, with a series of four flights operated by Jet2.com, although there has been no announcement regarding any future flights for 2009.
Future
In line with government recommendations, Leeds Bradford Airport published a masterplan. However since then the airport has been privatised and the new plans of Bridgepoint Capital deviate in areas from the masterplan.
The masterplan
In 2004 the airport published a master plan in line with government recommendations. The master plan set out the following proposals for future development:[10][11][12]
- Expansion of the terminal buildings, with new gates added including airbridge boarding tunnels.
- New aircraft parking areas (there are currently 19 stands, this would increase to 31).
- A change to the runway configuration (part of which has already been carried out). This includes building a taxiway parallel to the main runway. This would allow aircraft movements to increase from 16 to 25 per hour.
- New airfield equipment and buildings (including aircraft hangars, new flight catering facilities and a new fuel farm).
- Hotel and office space (the first phase of which is now complete).
- A railway station from a spur near Horsforth.
- New car parking areas.
- A new link road from the A65, to the airport and then to the A658.
The master plan sets out the stages of development for Leeds Bradford Airport over the next 10 years and outlines general proposals for the period from 2016 to 2030. It is estimated that by 2016 the airport will handle in excess of 5.1 million passengers per year as well as seeing a significant increase in freight traffic. Both Flybe and Ryanair have expressed an interest in expanding their routes at the airport, with Ryanair announcing intentions to base aircraft there.[13]
Bridgepoint Capital development plan of 2008
On 4 November 2008, Bridgepoint Capital announced their £28 million plans to redevelop the airport terminal.[14] Planning permission is to be submitted to Leeds City Council in late November 2008.[needs update] The plans will involve building in front of the current terminal building, effectively turning the current crescent-shaped building into a semicircle. As the current terminal buildings are the product of 40 years of extensions, there is no continuity to the layout and the buildings can become very congested. The extension would be set over two stories and would facilitate new departure and arrival facilities. The ground floor will house new check-in halls, while on the first floor there will be a large departure lounge, featuring a glass roof.[15] Both arrival and departure facilities will benefit from new retail facilities as the management claimed that current facilities were 'inadequate and unenticing'. It is estimated that with the completion of the airport extension and the forecast new flights, an extra 2,000 jobs will be generated at the airport.[16]
Support
During a discussion on Question Time (filmed in Leeds on 15 January 2009) regarding the third runway at London Heathrow Airport, Northern Ireland Labour MP, Shaun Woodward advocated expansion of Leeds Bradford International Airport. He however incorrectly quoted the passenger usage of the airport, stating it to be two million, instead of the true figure of three million.[17]
Airport ownership
Leeds and Bradford councils jointly bought the airport site at Yeadon in 1930,[18] which opened as Yeadon Aerodrome in 1931.
The airport became a limited company in 1987, and was shared between the five surrounding boroughs of Leeds (40%), Bradford (40%) and Wakefield, Calderdale and Kirklees (together sharing the remaining 20%).
In October 2006 plans to privatise the airport were confirmed when Bradford Council became the last of the five controlling councils to agree to sell off the airport to the private sector.
On April 4, 2007 the five controlling councils announced that Bridgepoint Capital had been selected as the preferred bidder.[19] On May 3, 2007 Bridgepoint was confirmed as the buyer.[20]
On May 4, 2007 Bridgepoint Capital acquired the airport from Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Calderdale and Kirklees councils for £145.5 million. Although Bridgepoint Capital own the airport 100% financially, the councils hold a "special share" in the airport, to protect its name and continued operation as an air transport gateway for the Yorkshire region. The new owners have said they are to implement a £70 million capital expenditure plan, to focus on improving passenger and retail infrastructure. Other aims include more than doubling passenger numbers to 7 million per annum and adding up to 20 new scheduled destinations, both by 2015.[3]
Statistics
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Transport
The airport has connections to the local road network and is signposted on a large number of routes in the region. Bus services link the airport with Bradford, Leeds, Harrogate, York and other surrounding areas. Services to Leeds link the airport with the National Rail network via Leeds railway station and connects with long distance coach services at Leeds City Bus Station.
As part of both the airport and Metro's long-term strategies, there are proposals for the construction of a direct rail link to the airport on a branch from the Harrogate Line, however no firm commitments or timescales have been announced.[10]
Airlines and destinations
Scheduled flights
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air Southwest | Bristol, Newquay |
| bmi operated by bmi Regional | Brussels, Edinburgh, Glasgow International |
| Eastern Airways | Aberdeen, Southampton |
| Flybe | Aberdeen, Belfast-City, Bergerac [seasonal], Exeter, Southampton |
| Jet2.com | Albert-Picardie [begins 20 April; seasonal], Alicante, Almería, Amsterdam, Arrecife, Avignon [seasonal], Barcelona, Belfast-International, Chambery [seasonal], Dalaman [begins 18 May; seasonal], Dubrovnik [begins 20 May; seasonal], Düsseldorf, Faro, Geneva, Heraklion [seasonal], Ibiza [seasonal], Jersey [seasonal], La Rochelle [seasonal], Larnaca [begins 23 May; seasonal], Kraków, Las Palmas, Mahon, Málaga, Milan-Bergamo, Murcia, Nice, Newquay [begins 24 May; seasonal], Olbia, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Pisa [seasonal], Prague, Rhodes [begins 27 May; seasonal], Rome-Fiumicino, Salzburg [seasonal], Sharm el-Sheikh [seasonal], Tenerife-South, Toulouse [seasonal], Venice-Marco Polo |
| KLM operated by KLM Cityhopper | Amsterdam |
| Manx2 | Isle of Man |
| Pakistan International Airlines | Islamabad |
| Ryanair | Alicante, Dublin, Girona |
Charter flights
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air Europa | Arrecife, Tenerife-South |
| Air Malta | Malta Luqa |
| Austrian Arrows | Innsbruck |
| BH Air | Bourgas |
| Jet2.com | Chambery, Kiruna |
| Onur Air | Bodrum, Dalaman |
| Thomas Cook Airlines | Alicante, Arrecife, Bodrum, Dalaman, Faro, Fuerteventura, Heraklion, Ibiza, Larnaca, Las Palmas, Mahon, Monastir [begins 24 May], Palma de Mallorca, Rhodes, Tenerife-South, Zakynthos |
| Thomson Airways | Corfu, Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca, Reus |
Flight Training and General Aviation
The airport is home to Multiflight, a flight training organisation. Flight training is confined to the south-side of the airport, in order to maintain separation from commercial traffic utilising the main terminal.
In addition to numerous privately owned aircraft hangared on the south-side, a fleet of around 11 training aircraft are based at the airport.
Incidents and accidents
On 18 May 2005, a Jordanian Airbus A320, registration JY-JAR operating for Spanish charter airline LTE suffered a braking malfunction on landing at Leeds Bradford Airport following a flight from Fuerteventura. The aircraft touched down on runway 14 just beyond the touchdown zone, approximately 400 m (1,300 ft) beyond the aiming point. The pilots determined that the rate of deceleration was inadequate and applied full reverse thrust and full manual braking in an effort to stop the aircraft, however the normal braking system malfunctioned and the Captain turned the aircraft onto a level grassed area to the right of the runway where it came to rest. There were no injuries to the passengers or crew, however the Air Accidents Investigation Branch made seven safety recommendations in the final accident report.[23][24]
On 24 May 1995, an Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante aircraft, registration G-OEAA operating a Knight Air flight between Leeds Bradford and Aberdeen entered a steeply descending spiral dive, broke up in flight and crashed into farmland at Dunkeswick Moor near Leeds. All 12 occupants were killed. The probable cause of the accident was the failure of one or both artificial horizon instruments. There was no standby artificial horizon installed (as there was no airworthiness requirement for one on this aircraft) and the accident report concluded that this left the crew without a single instrument available for assured attitude reference or simple means of determining which flight instruments had failed. The aircraft entered a spiral dive from which the pilot, who was likely to have become spatially disoriented, was unable to recover.[25][26]
On 27 May 1985, a Lockheed Tristar operated by British Airtours, registration G-BBAI, overran the runway surface on landing from Palma after a rain shower. The aircraft was evacuated, with only minor injuries sustained by the 14 crew and 398 passengers. The nose landing gear strut folded backwards during the overrun, leading to severe damage to the underside of the forward fuselage. The undersides of both wing-mounted engines were flattened and both engines suffered ingestion damage. The main wheels of the aircraft also dug deep troughs in the area beyond the end of the runway, damaging the buried airfield lighting cables. The accident report concluded that the overrun was caused by the inability of the aircraft to achieve the appropriate level of braking effectiveness, and recommended that both the scheduled wet runway performance of the TriStar and the condition of the surface of runway 14 at Leeds Bradford Airport should be re-examined.[27][28]
Prior to the above, there were two further recorded incidents of runway overuns at Leeds Bradford Airport, both involving British Midland Airways Viscount aircraft, and both showing evidence of hydroplaning.[27]
Famous visits
- Louis Armstrong - On the 15th June 1968, Louis Armstrong arrived at Leeds Bradford International Airport and was greeted by seven year old Enrico Tomasso of York Road playing Basin Street Blues with father Ernie. Armstrong was performing later that night in Batley.[29]
See also
References
- ^ Leeds Bradford - EGNM
- ^ a b UK Airport Statistics: 2008 - annual Cite error: The named reference "stats" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b LBIA - Bridgepoint acquires Leeds Bradford International Airport
- ^ Leeds Bradford International Airport - Airfield Information
- ^ LBIA - History & Developments
- ^ BBC News - New flight destination for Manx2
- ^ LBIA Announcements - Shaheen Air International cease of service
- ^ LBIA - PAKISTAN INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES (PIA) TO START DIRECT FLIGHTS
- ^ LBIA - Direct Flights To Islamabad Take Off
- ^ a b Leeds Bradford International Airport, Masterplan 2005-2016 Rev J (Final)
- ^ LBIA - Airport Masterplan
- ^ Leeds Bradford International Airport, Masterplan 2005-2016 Summary
- ^ Yorkshire Post - Flybe's pledge to airport
- ^ Building a better airport for you
- ^ Airport reveals £28m revamp plan
- ^ £28m Leeds Bradford airport plan ready for take-off
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00gq673/b00gq63t/Question_Time_15_01_2009/
- ^ Firth, Gary (1997). A History of Bradford. Phillimore. ISBN 1-86077-057-6.
- ^ LBIA - Preferred Bidder Press Release
- ^ Airport Sold For 145 Million To Bridgepoint (from Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
- ^ Number of Movements represents total air transport takeoffs and landings during that year.
- ^ CAA - UK Airport Statistics
- ^ "Airbus A320-211, JY-JAR". UK AAIB. Retrieved 2007-12-13.
- ^ "Picture Airbus A320-211, JY-JAR".
- ^ "AAIB Report No: 2/1996". UK AAIB. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
- ^ "EMB-110, G-OEAA". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 2007-12-13.
- ^ a b "Lockheed TriStar, G-BBAI". UK AAIB. Retrieved 2008-02-07.
- ^ "Picture Lockheed TriStar, G-BBAI".
- ^ ISBN 1-84015-198-6 page 50
External links
