Leeds Bradford Airport

Not to be confused with Leeds East Airport.

Leeds Bradford Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerInfraBridge, a division of DigitalBridge Group, Inc.
OperatorLeeds Bradford Airport Limited
ServesWest Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
LocationYeadon, England, United Kingdom
Opened17 October 1931; 93 years ago (1931-10-17)
Operating base for
Elevation AMSL681 ft / 208 m
Coordinates53°51′58″N 001°39′39″W / 53.86611°N 1.66083°W / 53.86611; -1.66083
Websitewww.leedsbradfordairport.co.uk
Map
LBA/EGNM is located in West Yorkshire
LBA/EGNM
LBA/EGNM
Location in West Yorkshire
LBA/EGNM is located in the United Kingdom
LBA/EGNM
LBA/EGNM
LBA/EGNM (the United Kingdom)
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
14/32 2,250 7,382 Concrete
Statistics (2022)
Passengers3,288,635
Passenger change 21–22Increase345%
Aircraft Movements25,943
Movements change 21–22Increase206%
Sources: UK AIP at NATS[1]
Statistics from the UK Civil Aviation Authority[2]

Leeds Bradford Airport (IATA: LBA, ICAO: EGNM) is located in Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, about 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Leeds city centre, and about 9 miles (14 km) northeast from Bradford city centre.[1] It serves Leeds and Bradford and the wider Yorkshire region including York, Wakefield and Harrogate, and is the largest airport in Yorkshire. The airport was in public ownership until May 2007, when it was bought by Bridgepoint Capital for £145.5 million.[3] Bridgepoint sold it in 2017 to AMP Capital.[4][5]

Leeds Bradford opened on 17 October 1931 when it was known as Leeds and Bradford Municipal Aerodrome or Yeadon Aerodrome;[6] some locals still refer to it as Yeadon Airport. Largely used for general aviation and training purposes early on, the first scheduled flights commenced on 8 April 1935. To accommodate passenger traffic, work commenced on the first terminal in the late 1930s, although only the first wing was completed before the Second World War.[citation needed]

British aircraft manufacturer Avro constructed a shadow factory called the Leeds Bradford Airport Depot to the north of the airport, which was the largest free-standing structure in Europe at that time.[7][8][9] Avro produced around 5,515 aircraft before it closed in December 1946 and civil flights recommenced the following year.[10] It is located where Leeds Bradford Airport Industrial Estate is today.[11][12][9]

In 1965, a new runway opened. After Yeadon's terminal was destroyed in a fire, a replacement was completed in 1968. In the early 1980s, runway extensions were completed that enabled it to be classified as a regional airport. On 4 November 1984, the day a runway extension was opened, Wardair commenced transatlantic flights to Toronto, using Boeing 747s. On 2 August 1986, an Air France Concorde charter flight from Paris landed for the first time, drawing an estimated crowd of 70,000 people.[citation needed] More Concorde charter flights took place until 2000. In 1994, the airport's operational hour restrictions were removed, enabling flights at any time of day. Since 1996, the terminal has been expanded in the terms of size and facilities. In 2007, nearly 2.9 million passengers passed through the airport, an 88% increase in seven years and more than twice as many compared with 1997 (1.2 million).[citation needed]

Leeds Bradford has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P800) that allows flights for passenger transport and flight training. The airport operates scheduled flights to many European destinations and a limited number of domestic destinations. It is the highest airport in England at an elevation of 681 ft (208 m).[13] By the number of passengers handled in 2022, Leeds Bradford was the 13th busiest airport in the UK. It is a base for Jet2.com, which has its headquarters at the airport.

  1. ^ a b "Leeds Bradford – EGNM". Nats-uk.ead-it.com. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  2. ^ "UK Airport Data". UK Civil Aviation Authority. 21 March 2023. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  3. ^ "Bridgepoint acquires Leeds Bradford International Airport". LBIA. 3 May 2007. Archived from the original on 12 May 2007. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  4. ^ "Bridgepoint sells Leeds Bradford Airport". bridgepoint.eu. Bridgepoint. Archived from the original on 19 July 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  5. ^ "Leeds Bradford Airport sold to Australian investment fund". Yorkshire Evening Post. Archived from the original on 19 July 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  6. ^ "History & Developments". Leeds Bradford Airport Company. Archived from the original on 26 November 2010. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
  7. ^ "Yeadon". Avro Heritage Museum. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  8. ^ "Avro". Stead & Co. 17 November 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  9. ^ a b Rahman, Miran (16 November 2022). "Massive industrial estate on the market for first time in over 50 years". The Business Desk. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  10. ^ Philpott, Colin (17 December 2012). "Avro Aircraft Factory, Leeds – The Story of Yeadon's Hidden War Effort". On: Yorkshire Magazine. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  11. ^ "Silence was secret weapon of war on the Home Front". The Yorkshire Post. 21 November 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  12. ^ Clifford, Sally (31 October 2018). "Plotting rooms, secret underground bunkers – how silence and secrecy helped to win the war". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  13. ^ "Leeds Bradford International Airport – Airfield Information". gosimply.com. 15 November 2010. Archived from the original on 15 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.