Leeds Bradford: General Airport Discussion & Updates

[Aviador]

In one of the LBA handbooks from the 1980s or early 1990s, there was a full feature about the runway surface being diamond-grooved after the runway was extended. I recall it saying that after many years of use, it became necessary to diamond-groove the runway to maintain good braking action, which was then regarded as the best achievable on a concrete runway. The feature was referring to the time around when the runway was extended so it was an inaccurate of the YouTuber to assume the old runway had its grip warn away.

It was a good video and I enjoyed it. It has been a good discussion in the end.

Interestingly according to Google AI a dry groved concrete runway has the best possible grip of any available runway surface but when wet a grooved asphalt runway becomes better. (subject to possible errors from AI)

If anyone has a copy of the LBA handbooks from that era, perhaps you can check and see how good my memory is?

 

[LsS27]

From what I can remember, the RAF did several wet weather landings with one of their Tri Stars, to check the runway. I seem to also remember that the runway was 're-grooved' not long after the incident.
Very interesting video and well worth watching

 

[Aviador]

From what I can remember, the RAF did several wet weather landings with one of their Tri Stars, to check the runway. I seem to also remember that the runway was 're-grooved' not long after the incident.
Very interesting video and well worth watching

Well I was referring to regrooving at the time when the runway was extended not after the incident but I could be wrong.

 

[White Heather]

From what I can remember, the RAF did several wet weather landings with one of their Tri Stars, to check the runway. I seem to also remember that the runway was 're-grooved' not long after the incident.
Very interesting video and well worth watching

Definitely regrooved after the incident. I suspect that the extension was done when built and the original 1965 runway re-grooved after the Tristar incident. The Tristar of course didnt touch the extension so was reliant on what was entirely the original runway.

 

[YorkshireLad]

Happy pride month to everyone on this Forum, queer or not!

Pride is all about diversity and inclusion. I therefore urge all airlines, be it easyJet, Ryanair, Eurowings, whoever, to partake in the pride spirit and be inclusive of LBA in any new network expansions. Also I fully support KLM if they decide to transition from Cityhopper to their mainline services.

After all, I always take pride in my local airport. I think we can all agree nothing would be better than a rainbow of aircraft tails on our apron.

Now THIS is the woke agenda I’m fighting for!

 

[LBA4EVER]

Happy pride month to everyone on this Forum, queer or not!

Pride is all about diversity and inclusion. I therefore urge all airlines, be it easyJet, Ryanair, Eurowings, whoever, to partake in the pride spirit and be inclusive of LBA in any new network expansions. Also I fully support KLM if they decide to transition from Cityhopper to their mainline services.

After all, I always take pride in my local airport. I think we can all agree nothing would be better than a rainbow of aircraft tails on our apron.

Now THIS is the woke agenda I’m fighting for!

Flipping heck thats a bit full on! And i thought i was the only gay in the room!

 

[Finger66]

Flipping heck thats a bit full on! And i thought i was the only gay in the room!

Shows how little Britain is then!

 

[HX3]

Happy pride month to everyone on this Forum, queer or not!

Pride is all about diversity and inclusion. I therefore urge all airlines, be it easyJet, Ryanair, Eurowings, whoever, to partake in the pride spirit and be inclusive of LBA in any new network expansions. Also I fully support KLM if they decide to transition from Cityhopper to their mainline services.

After all, I always take pride in my local airport. I think we can all agree nothing would be better than a rainbow of aircraft tails on our apron.

Now THIS is the woke agenda I’m fighting for!

God pride måned- happy pride month YorkshireLad

 

[White Heather]

I see MAN had runway 27R closed for part of today due to potholes in the runway, with resultant delays and some diverts, though none to LBA, not even the Jet2 divert. So its not just LBA that has such issues from time to time. I have scanned the social media and noticed an absence of comments about how this would never happen at DSA, rubbish airport, sooner DSA reopens the better etc. It seems the DSA society really does only focus on LBA. Perhaps they have twigged at last that DSA wouldn't even make a dent on MAN!

 

[SierraHotel]

UK's dirtiest airport for cleanliness complaints found in study —Leeds Bradford Airport ranks | Leeds Live https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/news/y...tiest-airport-cleanliness-complaints-34082564

 

[LBA4EVER]

UK's dirtiest airport for cleanliness complaints found in study —Leeds Bradford Airport ranks | Leeds Live https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/news/y...tiest-airport-cleanliness-complaints-34082564

So because the word "dirty" was used in more reviews of LBA that makes LBA the dirtiest airport, that's a crazy assessment
My guess is the word dirty may of well been used more often due to the ongoing airport infrastructure improvement works which of course make the airport look rather dirty, messy, dusty whatever you want to call it, plus of course more pax been confined to less space currently due to airport construction.

 

[LBAYORKIE]

So because the word "dirty" was used in more reviews of LBA that makes LBA the dirtiest airport, that's a crazy assessment
My guess is the word dirty may of well been used more often is due to the ongoing airport infrastructure improvement works which of course make the airport look rather dirty, messy, dusty whatever you want to call it, plus of course more pax been confined to less space currently due to airport construction.

Or maybe those infamous toilets!

 

[The Pole]

A second stated: "To say it's been refurbished, it's cheap, IKEA plastic plants everywhere and dirty and unclean. The public lounge is bad enough, but the Avro Lounge is an absolute disgrace."

Its a blooming airport not their front room FFS!!!!

 

[YorkshireLad]

Look at it this way - at least we're good at something! Still better than that article though - I could almost read it in between the ads

 

[LBA4EVER]

Or maybe those infamous toilets!

Which infamous toilets haha always used the toilets between security and duty free which are sound and those in the new departure lounge, again no probs.

 

[LBAYORKIE]

Which infamous toilets haha always used the toilets between security and duty free which are sound and those in the new departure lounge, again no probs.

The ones landside.

 

[Aviador]

Only at Leeds do we end up discussing the toilets but for the record, I recently used the toilets in the extension and they were considerably better but as has been mentioned. You just want to see it clean, not necessarily posh.

 

[Finger66]

Yes I agree this thread is getting a bit bogged down with the toilet discussion

 

[White Heather]

Yet today, i watched a video by someone flying Ryanair to Girona and she said LBA was the best airport and she loves flying from there. She also pointed out the free drop off zone and that few, if any, other airports have one.

So, not everyone has a downer on LBA, at least, not outside Doncaster.

The fact is that if toilets were designed for a passenger throughput well below what we now have, the toilets will inevitably be very busy and even if there was a cleaner in there all day, it would be very difficult to keep them clean and tidy. Ultimately, the people complaining are often the ones that mess the place up.

 

[jason1-11]

Although we all have our own views, I thought it might be interesting to share an AI view on why LBA has underperformed when compared to similar UK regional airports / cities – namely: NCL, BRS, LPL. It came back with 9 points, most of which we are well aware of.

Compared with similar‑sized UK regional airports (Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, even Newcastle), Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) has historically under‑performed. The reasons are quite structural and layered rather than a single issue:

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1) Physical and geographical constraints (a major handicap)

• Short, single runway (2,250m) limits aircraft size/range and reduces operational flexibility.
• High elevation (681 ft) + exposed plateau location → more wind, fog, crosswinds and weather disruption.
• These factors:
  • reduce load factors on longer routes
  • make diversions (often to Manchester) more common
  • discourage long‑haul and hub carriers

In short: it’s a physically constrained airfield compared to competitors built on flatter, lower terrain (e.g. Manchester).

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2) Chronic underinvestment & late modernisation

• LBA has historically lagged behind in terminal quality, stands, and infrastructure.
• Only recently has significant investment arrived (e.g. £100m+ terminal extension opened 2025).
• Prior to that:
  • congestion
  • long queues
  • limited security capacity
  • weaker passenger experience

These issues hurt airline confidence and passenger demand growth.

Compare that with Manchester, which has had continuous large‑scale investment since the 1990s.

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3) Planning, political and community resistance

Expansion has been repeatedly slowed or derailed:

• A major new terminal + expansion plan (2020) was called in by central government and later withdrawn.
• Ongoing disputes over:
  • night flights
  • noise pollution
  • environmental impact
• Recurrent conflict with local campaign groups has:
  • delayed capacity increases
  • created uncertainty for airlines

This has arguably been the single biggest reason LBA hasn’t scaled to its potential catchment.

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4) Weak surface access

This is a big one in UK regional competition:

• No direct rail link to the airport (still a major gap vs rivals)
• Road access via A658 is not high-capacity
• Public transport connectivity is relatively poor

There are long-term plans (mass transit / rail links), but nothing transformational yet.

Result: a large chunk of Yorkshire’s population (especially south/west) finds it easier to use Manchester Airport.

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5) Competition from Manchester (dominant regional hub)

Manchester Airport effectively captures LBA’s wider market:

• Huge catchment (~22 million vs ~5 million for LBA)
• Long-haul network, hub connectivity, cargo, alliances
• Better reliability, capacity, and ground access

Many Yorkshire passengers leak to Manchester, especially for:

• long-haul
• business travel
• premium routes

This suppresses LBA’s route development.

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6) Airline mix: heavily leisure-focused

• LBA is dominated by Jet2 and Ryanair leisure traffic
• Limited:
  • business routes
  • hub connectivity (e.g. Heathrow link lost years ago)

Even local leadership sees restoring Heathrow connectivity as critical to economic performance.

Without strong hub links, airports struggle to grow higher-yield traffic.

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7) Operational reliability perception

While sometimes overstated, LBA has had:

• delays, queueing and handling issues
• occasional runway incidents or closures causing diversions

Even if improving, this has historically:

• damaged reputation
• made airlines cautious

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8) Capacity limits (especially at peak/night)

• Slot and noise restrictions limit night operations and growth flexibility
• Operational caps (e.g. night noise quotas and closures) constrain scheduling

Particularly problematic for low‑cost carriers that rely on aircraft utilisation.

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9) Timing: missed growth window

• LBA didn’t expand aggressively during the 2000–2015 low-cost boom
• Competitors (Manchester, Liverpool, East Midlands) grew faster

By the time LBA began serious expansion:

• market share had already shifted
• airline strategies were more concentrated elsewhere

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Bottom line

Leeds Bradford underperforms mainly due to a combination of structural constraints + policy delays, not lack of demand:

The core issues are:

• Physical limitations (runway + terrain)
• Planning delays and community opposition
• Poor surface access
• Strong nearby competition (Manchester)
• Late investment and limited airline mix

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Is it changing?

Yes—there are signs of improvement:

• Terminal expansion (opened 2025)
• £200m+ Vision 2030 programme
• Plans for better connectivity and more routes

But unless surface access improves and expansion hurdles ease, LBA will likely remain a strong leisure airport rather than a full regional hub.