Leeds Bradford Airport

Wikipedia contributors · CC BY-SA · EN · 04/10/2026

Leeds Bradford Airport is located in Yeadon, West Yorkshire, England, about 7 mi northwest of Leeds city centre, and about 9 mi northeast from Bradford city centre. 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 £145.5million. Bridgepoint sold it in 2017 to AMP Capital. In December 2025, Spanish national airport company AENA acquired a majority stake in the airport.

Leeds Bradford opened on 17 October 1931 when it was known as Leeds and Bradford Municipal Aerodrome or Yeadon Aerodrome; 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.

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. Avro produced around 5,515 aircraft before it closed in December 1946 and civil flights recommenced the following year. It is located where Leeds Bradford Airport Industrial Estate is today.

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. 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 2.9million passengers passed through the airport, an 88% increase in seven years and more than twice as many compared with 1997 (1.2million).

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. By the number of passengers handled in 2024, Leeds Bradford was the 13th busiest airport in the UK. It is a base for Jet2.com, which has its headquarters at the airport.

History

Opening and early operations

What became Leeds Bradford Airport was built in the late 1920s and early 1930s on 60 acre of grassland next to the old Bradford to Harrogate road. On 17 October 1931, the airport, which was interchangeably known as Leeds and Bradford Municipal Aerodrome or Yeadon Aerodrome in its early years, was officially opened. Initially, the airport was operated by the Yorkshire Aeroplane Club on behalf of Leeds and Bradford Corporations. Its early operations were typified by training and general aviation flights.

In 1935, the aerodrome was expanded by 35 acre; the first scheduled flights commenced on 8 April 1935 with a service by North Eastern Airways from London (Heston Aerodrome) to Newcastle upon Tyne (Cramlington). The service was extended to Edinburgh (Turnhouse). In June 1935, Blackpool and West Coast Air Services launched 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 continued to Aberdeen (Dyce).

Seasonal flights between Yeadon and Liverpool commenced during the 1930s. To accommodate the expanding passenger numbers, work commenced on a terminal building but progress was halted after a single wing had been completed. During this time, the German zeppelin LZ 129 Hindenburg overflew the aerodrome and while the flight was claimed to be for publicity purposes, it was later found to have been engaged in espionage.

RAF Yeadon

609 (West Riding) Squadron AAF was based at Yeadon from its formation on 10 February 1936, until 27 August 1939 when it was relocated to Catterick. In 1946, 609 Squadron was reformed and returned to Yeadon the following year. The squadron was equipped with de Havilland Mosquito MK.XXX aircraft which were difficult to operate because the runways were too short. Safety speed (at which the aircraft needs to be flown and controlled on a single engine) was not reached until over flying central Leeds when taking off in that direction—with drastic results should things go wrong. The airfield sloped downhill and it was necessary to land at RAF Linton-on-Ouse, 20 mi away, if the wind was coming from the wrong direction. Eventually, the Air Ministry re-equipped 609 with Spitfire LFXVIs. This was sufficient as a short-term measure, but the grass airstrip was not ideally suited to Spitfire operations, and it was decided that 609 Squadron should move to the hard runways of RAF Church Fenton in October 1950.

Yeadon was requisitioned by the Royal Air Force and became part of 13 Group and subsequently 12 Group. Once 609 (West Riding) Squadron left for Catterick, Yeadon served as a Flying Training School, bomber maintenance unit, and a scatter airfield. In January 1942, it was transferred to the Ministry of Aircraft Production and Avro built a shadow factory for the production of Albermarle, Anson, Lancaster, York, and Lincoln aircraft. It was also used by Hawker Aircraft for development work on its Tornado design. The Royal Air Force remained a part of Yeadon's life until 1957, operating Austers, Supermarine Spitfires, de Havilland Mosquitoes out of here. RAF Yeadon finally closed in 1959.

Wartime use

At the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, all civil aviation operations were halted. The aircraft manufacturer Avro constructed a shadow factory to the north of the aerodrome to manufacture military aircraft. The factory was connected to the aerodrome by a taxiway from where the aircraft made their way to make their maiden flights. The Avro factory was camouflaged, its roof disguised as a field with dummy cattle and agricultural buildings so that from the air it resembled the surrounding fields. Large numbers of houses were constructed nearby to house the workforce. The factory, which commenced production in 1941, was reportedly the largest free-standing structure in Europe at the time.

To better accommodate the large military aircraft, improvements were made to the aerodrome including two runways, more taxiways and extra hangarage enabling Yeadon to become an important site for military test flying. About 5,515 aircraft were produced at Yeadon of the following main types: Anson (more than 4,500), Bristol Blenheim (250), Lancaster bomber (695), York (45) and the Lincoln (25). Decreased demand at the end of the conflict saw the factory closed in December 1946. On New Year's Day 1947, the site was handed over to the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Many of the airport's original hangars remain intact.

1947 to 1969

In 1947, civil flights recommenced. Local resident Geoff Rennard who had campaigned for Leeds and Bradford to have an aerodrome established an Aero Club. He was subsequently appointed airport manager, remaining for five years. In 1953, Yeadon Aviation Ltd was formed to manage and operate the airport and its Aero Club. In 1955, services to Belfast, Jersey, Ostend, Southend, the Isle of Wight and Düsseldorf were added to Yeadon's destination list. Scheduled flights to London commenced in 1960; a route to Dublin by Aer Lingus was added shortly after. In 1965, a new runway was opened and in the same year the terminal building was accidentally destroyed in a fire. Its replacement was started shortly after and was operational by 1968.

1970 to 1994

By the mid-1970s, the package holiday had become popular in the British Isles. During 1976, the first holiday charter flight to the Iberian Peninsula by Britannia Airways departed from Leeds Bradford.

In 1978, it was recognised that, if the runway was extended, the airport could be upgraded to regional airport status. In 1982, construction commenced on the main runway necessitating the construction of a tunnel to take the A658 Bradford to Harrogate road beneath the runway. On 4 November 1984, the runway was completed. Around this time, the airport's terminal building was extended and redeveloped. The first phase opened on 18 July 1985.

On 4 November 1984, the day the runway extension was officially opened, Wardair commenced transatlantic flights to Toronto, using Boeing 747s but these flights were discontinued in 1989 when Wardair ceased operations. Worldways Canada, Odyssey International, Air Transat, Nationair and Caledonian all operated transatlantic services from the airport well into the 1990s using Lockheed Tristar and Boeing 757–200 airliners.

On 2 August 1986, an Air France Concorde charter flight from Paris landed at the airport for the first time; an estimated 70,000 people were drawn to the airport to catch a glimpse of the supersonic airliner. Occasional Concorde charter flights using British Airways aircraft continued until June 2000, just one month before the Concorde disaster in Paris.

Leeds Bradford Airport had restricted operating hours that proved to be a deterrent to many charter airlines, whose cheap fares were heavily dependent on 'round-the-clock' use of their aircraft. In 1994, the restrictions were removed, enabling planes to use the airport 24 hours per day, attracting more business.

1995 to 2019

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. The expanded terminal, along with new hangars, has accommodated the expanding use of airliners such as the Boeing 737.

On 6 October 2005, the original runway, 09/27, was permanently closed; it has since been redeveloped as a taxiway and to provide additional apron space.

In 2007, nearly 2.9million passengers passed through the airport, an 88% increase in just seven years and more than twice as many compared with 1997 (1.2million).

In February 2008, Shaheen Air commenced a link to Islamabad. Leeds Bradford's first scheduled flight to Asia, the service catered to the Pakistani community in Yorkshire. Shaheen flew to Islamabad with an Airbus A310 that it had leased from a Turkish company. In order to comply with Pakistani government regulations, it needed to switch to a plane registered in Pakistan within three months. However, the airline was unable to obtain such an aircraft in time, so it had to end the route in May 2008. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) launched a flight to the same city two months later. It also used an A310 on the route.

Between 2000 and 2013, the airport was home to the West/South air platform of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. It moved to Nostell in November 2013. The following May, PIA terminated its Islamabad service due to financial losses. The A310s consumed fuel inefficiently, and the carrier did not possess enough fuel-efficient aircraft to replace them.

2020 to present

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the construction of a temporary extension to the terminal front, titled the 'Preparation Zone', acting as a space to queue, maintain Social distancing measures, and to ensure all passengers were wearing face masks as per the UK Government's COVID-19 strategy. The existing 'Yorkshire Lounge' was converted into a takeaway food outlet called 'Flight Bites', and all travel money kiosks, other shops / food outlets and the 'Fast Track' security lane were closed. On 15 July 2020, a new, refurbished Yorkshire Lounge opened; closing the Flight Bites temporary outlet. On the same day, Starbucks and Boots outlets reopened; coinciding with the relaunch of Jet2.com flights.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic caused significant problems in the airport with staff shortages resulting in huge queues for check-in and security, as a result of the airport getting back up to pre-pandemic levels of passenger numbers, leading to it being ranked worst in the UK. This later led to threats of strike action in security over better pay, which were later suspended.

With the closure of Doncaster Sheffield Airport in November 2022, the majority of Wizz Air and TUI's flights were transferred to Leeds Bradford, bringing new routes to destinations in Romania and Poland, as well as bringing more passengers in from further afield.

In August 2024, the airport announced as part of its 2030 vision, plans to reintroduce long haul flights from the airport, stating that this could happen within the next 3 years. They also expect passenger numbers to go from 4 million to 7 million a year by 2030.

In August 2026, low cost carrier EasyJet announced it would cease services to the airport "after the 5th of January".

Facilities

The airport has a terminal and two air bridges. The terminal has two check-in halls: Hall A is used by all airlines except Jet2 and Hall B is solely used by Jet2. Upstairs is a retail space with shops, restaurants, bars and a duty-free shopping area. Long, medium and short-stay car parks provide 7,000 parking spaces at the airport, along with several drop off points.

The airport processes a small amount of freight from its two cargo sheds on site with a view to expanding this operation, a key focus of the business and master-plan objectives. The airport features a single runway of 2200 m aligned as 14 and 32. Until 2005, there was a second shorter runway aligned 09 and 27, however it was closed in October 2005 and converted into a taxiway.

Source and attribution

Adapted from “Leeds Bradford Airport” by English Wikipedia contributors. Main paragraphs and sections are retained; tables, reference markers and technical markup are omitted. This is an encyclopedic adaptation, not a personal review. Original revision and contributor history ↗. Text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗. Check current visitor access, tickets and transport with the relevant operator.