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ATC Tower

About Leeds Bradford Airport

Welcome to the Yorkshire region’s largest airport 

At Leeds Bradford Airport we help millions of passengers reach a wide range of international destinations every year.

We want to inspire our community and that’s why we aspire to be the first choice airport for our customers, providing excellent connectivity and positive customer experiences.

At Leeds Bradford we are well placed to serve our thriving region, with competitive airlines offering great routes and prices worth travelling for.

Some of our historical highlights

Since opening on the site in 1931, Yeadon Aerodrome still sits only 7 miles from Leeds centre and 9 miles from the centre of Bradford. Well known amongst locals, the spot holds the title as England’s highest airport with an elevation pf 681 ft.

Here’s a bit about how we took off: 

  • Leeds and Bradford Municipal Aerodrome opened on 17 October 1931, expanding to scheduled flights and by 35 acres in 1935.
  • When the Second World War brought a halt to civil aviation in 1939 a near-by, camouflaged aircraft factory used the aerodrome to deliver planes to the war effort.
  • Civilians were flying out from Leeds Bradford Airport again by 1947 and the 50s and 60s brought routes to Belfast, Düsseldorf and Dublin we still offer today.
  • Work to extend the runway, create a tunnel to take the A658 beneath it and redevelopments of the terminal building were completed in 1985 upgrading the airport to regional status.
  • Transatlantic flights to Canada were first offered in 1984 with Wardair. The first chartered Concorde landed in 1986 with an estimated 70,000 people there to see it.
  • In 1994 we went open all hours meaning flights could use the airport 24 hours a day.  

Recent developments

In recent years, airport passengers have grown significantly from 1.2 million a year in 1997 to 2.9 million in 2007. Now welcoming over 4 million passengers a year, the airport plans to welcome 7 million a year by 2030.

AMP Capital (now InfraBridge) acquired Leeds Bradford Airport in 2017, bringing expertise and a successful track record of investing in airports globally within its infrastructure portfolio, to Yorkshire. Since then, the airport terminal has undergone significant improvement.

Our future

As a regional airport our success is one we share with the Yorkshire region. We strategically plan our growth and development with the local economy, environment and stakeholders in mind.

To help achieve our ambitions, we have produced our ‘Route to 2030 Strategic Development Plan’ - which will see annual passenger numbers increase from four million to seven million by 2030. It’s an investment in the future of Leeds Bradford Airport and sits alongside our Surface Access Strategy.