The Life and Times of Leeds Bradford Airport
Jetting off from Leeds Bradford Airport today, it's hard to believe that this expanding development was once an aerodrome set on just sixty acres of grassland. Yeadon Aerodrome, as it was then called, began operating in 1931 and focussed on club and training flights.
With the airport expanding by another 35 acres, scheduled air services began in 1935, flying passengers to Edinburgh and Newcastle. These were shortly joined by flights to the Isle of Man and Blackpool. The outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 meant that all civil flights ceased. Attention turned instead to the testing of many of the 4,500 aircraft that were built at the nearby Avro Factory. In order to accommodate these, flight test hangars, taxiways and two runways were built on Yeadon Aerodrome.
Civil flights began again two years after the end of the war and in 1953 the Yeadon Aero Club was operated by the newly formed Yeadon Aviation Ltd. Two years later BKS Air Transport began scheduled flights to Belfast, Jersey, Southend and the Isle of Wight, also adding Ostend and Dusseldorf. In 1959 the Leeds Bradford Airport Joint Committee took over, introducing significant improvements, including extended facilities for passengers and permanent lighting on the airfield. The following year the first daily service to London began and in 1965 a new runway came into operation. In May of that year much of the terminal building was destroyed by a fire. Construction therefore began on a new passenger terminal, which opened in February 1968.
By the 1970s the idea of inclusive holidays was literally taking off and 1976 saw the start of tour package flights to Spain. Two years later a Government White Paper determined that Leeds Bradford could fulfil the role of a Category B airport for the Yorkshire region. Thus began development of man of the features passengers are familiar with today. In 1982 construction work began as part of a £23m scheme. This saw the main runway extended and substantial improvements made to the passenger facilities, as well as diversion of the adjacent A658 and the introduction of a twin tunnel carrying traffic under the runway. This completion of the runway extension was celebrated on 4 November 1984, when the Yorkshire Post chartered a jumbo jet for the day to make two pleasure flights. It was shortly followed by Leeds Bradford's first transatlantic service, a flight to Toronto.
In July of the following year HRH the Duchess of Kent opened the first phase of the terminal extention. Scheduled and charter services soon enjoyed a rapid growth and it was not long before the iconic Concorde was making her first visit. In 1987, with over half a million passengers passing through, Leeds Bradford Airport transferred into a limited company and West Yorkshire's five metropolitan councils became shareholders. By 1994 LBA was granted approval to operate 24 hrs a day (with restrictions on night flights) and by 1996 the airport's one millionth passenger had passed through its doors.
Further developments have taken place, including new hangars and taxiways, plus in 2006 a £5m refurbishment that saw significant expansion of the airport's catering areas. The addition of Check-in Hall B brought the total of check-in desks to 42. Then followed refurbishment of the Arrivals areas, updated baggage facilities and the introduction of an X-ray machine for the screening of hold luggage. Outside of the terminal buildings, improvements continued with access from the public road. A new parking area was also introduced, opening up the front space to accommodate passenger drop-offs, additional bus parking and a minibus area. The most recent development is a £28m scheme that includes further expansion of the main terminal building. Less than a century ago, the site was simply a humble aerodrome that was home to small aircraft such as the Gypsy Moth and Cirrus. Today, powerful Boeings endlessly come and go, taking millions of passengers to everywhere from Aberdeen to Zante.
Written by Glynis Charlton
