Leeds Airport Blog

Residents fear traffic hell

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:13:46 UTC

Plans to improve lighting in a tunnel beneath Leeds Bradford Airport could have troubling consequences for the village of Carlton, Leeds.

The project, which began on the 4th January, is an essential part of city caretaking, but local residents are concerned that a river of heavy traffic could be diverted through suburban areas of Leeds.

Carlton is located to the northwest of the airport, and experiences high volumes of traffic on a daily basis, despite being little more than a rural hamlet. Villagers have already voiced criticisms about the speed of vehicles passing through the Carlton crossroads.

Local councillors were apologetic – “We are confident that the measures we are putting in place will keep disruption to a minimum. The works will be carried out as safely and quickly as possible.”

The affected tunnel is 200m long, and forms part of Victoria Avenue, an extension of the busy A658 road, which serves Bradford in the southwest. The works will replace the existing safety lights with energy efficient bulbs, requiring less maintenance.

Planners have earmarked a full ten weeks for the completion of the project. Lanes will be closed at off-peak times, after the morning rush hour, then through the night until 4:30am. The airport itself will not be affected by the closures, but be wary of congestion in the local area.

Earlier this week, Leeds Bradford Airport was closed while ice and snow was cleared from the runway. Extra flights have been made available for customers affected by delays, but bosses request all customers check with their airline before departing.

Leeds Bradford hoping for daily flights to New York

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:58:21 UTC

Residents of Yorkshire, wishing to fly to New York, may no longer have far to travel if bosses at Leeds Bradford Airport succeed in their new campaign. Project America has recently been launched and seeks to attract an American airline to the airport, with the aim of introducing a daily flight to New York by 2015.

This would of course not only benefit travellers in the region but would also create 400 new jobs and inject £10 million into the local economy. Half a million passengers per year have to travel from Yorkshire to other airports to fly across the Atlantic, and Leeds Bradford Commercial Director, Tony Hallwood, believes that it is crucial to “capture this market for both leisure and business travellers”.

According to preparatory research, America is the most popular long haul destination which is not currently served by services in the region. With flights to New York hopefully on the horizon, passengers would be able to connect with flights to other popular destinations, such as Florida, California, Canada and the Caribbean.

Mr Hallwood added that there are 750 American businesses in Yorkshire and that with a decent transatlantic service available on the doorstep further growth and investment in the region would follow. It would also raise Leeds’ status as a “core city” and the profile of Yorkshire as a whole.

Bosses at Leeds Bradford are also looking into the reinstatement of a public transport link from York to the airport. The head of York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce said that in order to attract more tourists and businesses to the region all the “building blocks of transport” had to be in place.

Flybe launches early summer roster

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:58:01 UTC

Flybe has announced its early-summer timetable from Leeds-Bradford Airport, allowing customers to book next year’s holiday months in advance.

Founded in 1979 as Jersey European Airways, Flybe claims to be the UK’s number one domestic airline, offering over 130 flights from Leeds-Bradford alone.

The carrier is keen to promote its Easter and Bank Holiday routes before larger airlines get their teeth into the public.

Routes to Italy, Germany, and France make up the continental half of Flybe’s 2010 roster, and UK tourists can also choose from a number of domestic destinations including Belfast and Aberdeen. Officials have reported ‘brisk interest’ from holidaymakers and business folk alike.

Flybe continues to carve out a niche as a budget business carrier, claiming many critical business customers on the route to London Gatwick.

Beginning in October, the airline will increase its commitment to the capital by offering an additional flight from Leeds-Bradford to Gatwick, as public interest in the route begins to soar.

Early birds can now depart at 0700 – two hours earlier than the previous Leeds-London flight.

“We recognise this route as being of crucial importance.” Mike Rutter, Officer at Flybe, explained. “We advise people to book early to take advantage of the lowest fares possible on this popular route.”

Flybe’s new flights cost between £23 and £26 for a one-way trip, all taxes included. The airline has promised to maintain the timetable until June 30th 2010.

A full list of the new destinations is available at the official website.

Price war at Leeds Bradford

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:45:40 UTC

Budget carrier, Ryanair, has announced that it will be launching 14 new routes out of Leeds Bradford airport, following news that the airport is to have a £28 million makeover.

Plans were unveiled on 11 Aug for new routes to the French cities of Carcassonne, Montpellier, Limoges and Nantes, the Spanish cities of Malaga, Murcia and Palma, the Italian cities of Pisa and Venice plus Knock in Ireland, the island of Malta, Krakow in Poland, Faro in Portugal, and the Balearic island of Ibiza. This was greeted as good news, not only for holidaymakers in the north of England but also for job seekers in West Yorkshire who were promised the creation of around a thousand new jobs.

Not everyone is happy though, with the Irish airline being accused of muscling in on routes already being operated by Leeds based airline Jet2 and it seems a price war is bound to follow.

Michael O’Leary, head of Ryanair, said that he had chosen Leeds Bradford airport for his latest base because it does not currently have any low cost carriers operating out of it. He went on to say that there are a couple of carriers “masquerading as low cost.....but it is a fact to say that they charge high fares”. The carriers which he was thought to be referring to are Jet2 and flybe.

Philip Meeson of Jet2 responded by pointing out that Ryanair have so many hidden extras in their fares that it works out as an extremely expensive option, especially for families who need to check in luggage.

Tickets are already on sale for Ryanair’s new routes and the new base at Leeds Bradford will open in Mar 2010.

With this new competition on many routes it will be interesting to see just how low fares go.

Plans to expand Leeds Bradford approved amidst environmental dismay

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:19:38 UTC

Leeds City Council has given the thumbs up to an ambitious expansion plan for Leeds Bradford airport after a four and a half hour meeting last month. The plans had originally been turned down in April on the grounds that better transport links had to be established but, having listened to a report from the planners, the council was satisfied that a lot of work had been done to address environmental concerns and the scheme was approved.

It is estimated that the expansion will cost £28 million and will involve a doubling in size of the airport and create up to 2,000 new jobs. Under the plans the security zone will be extended, the immigration and retail areas improved, and a new departure lounge constructed.

The regional airport currently sees some 3,000 passengers per year but it is estimated that as a result of the improvements this will increase to 5,000 by 2013.

The Chief Executive of the airport, John Parkin, said he was delighted by the approval and that it was “really good news for the people of this region”. Residents in West Yorkshire will be pleased to know that by 2013 they will be less likely to have to travel to Manchester airport to take a long haul flight.

Not everyone, however, is pleased and concerns have been voiced by environmental campaigners who held a demonstration outside the Civic Hall, whilst the Council debated the issue. A spokesman said that he was very disappointed with the decision and that the expansion would lead to traffic congestion, noise for local residents and higher carbon emissions in the future.

Leeds to London flights welcomed

Fri, 08 May 2009 13:24:54 UTC

As from the end of June Flybe will be operating three flights a day from Leeds-Bradford airport to London Gatwick. This March saw bmi scrap the service from Leeds-Bradford to London Heathrow so passengers and businesses alike will benefit from the introduction of the new service from rivals Flybe. It is expected that the new route will attract close to a hundred thousand passengers a year.

Around 130 new jobs will be created as a result, some with Flybe (both at Gatwick and Leeds-Bradford), some with the airport operator, Bridgepoint, and others within the travel-related industry.

The news has been welcomed by the commercial director of Leeds-Bradford airport although the chief executive of Bradford Chamber of Commerce has expressed reservations about Gatwick, saying that it may be less popular with the business traveller than Heathrow with its underground links straight into central London.

The new service starts on June 29th and tickets cost from as little as £24.99 (taxes and charges included) for a one way trip. Weekday flights will leave Gatwick at 07.25, 12.30 and 18.55 whilst those from Leeds depart at 09.00, 14.05 and 17.05. The service is reduced to twice a day at weekends but the times of the flights will appeal to anyone in Leeds who fancies a weekend in London, with a flight leaving Leeds-Bradford at 08.45 on the Saturday morning and flying back from Gatwick at 18.55. With a flight time of only an hour and ten minutes it will certainly beat driving.