Leeds-Bradford International Airport (LBA)

About Leeds-Bradford International Airport

Leeds Bradford International Airport is located 7 miles north east of Bradford and 11 miles north west of Leeds, near Yeadon in West Yorkshire. Although one of the UK’s smaller international airports, Leeds-Bradford is Yorkshire’s principal airport and in 2006 more than 2.7 million passengers passed through it.

Parking at the Airport

There are two parking options at Leeds Bradford International Airport, Short Stay and Long Stay.
The short stay car park is recommended for stays of up to 24 hours and is opposite the terminal building. Leeds Bradford International Airport does not offer free parking in any car park but there is a transit grace period in operation in the short-stay car park for picking up and dropping off passengers. To take advantage of the grace period, collect a ticket at the car park entry barrier, drop off or pick up your passengers, proceed directly to the exit and place your ticket into the exit barrier. If you leave your vehicle and go into the terminal building and subsequently present the ticket to a payment machine it will charge the appropriate parking fee.
The long stay car park is also located close to the terminal. It offers good value for stays of more than 24 hours and there is a courtesy bus to transfer passengers to and from the terminal that operates every day from 05:30 to 22:00.

Facilities and Services

Leeds-Bradford International Airport has services to over 70 scheduled and charter destinations. The passenger terminal has two levels, the upper for departures and the lower for arrivals and check-in. Passenger facilities include airport information; baby change facilities; Business Lounge; car hire; children’s play area; currency exchange; prayer room; WiFi Internet access and facilities for passengers requiring special assistance.
The terminal building also offers a small range of shops and restaurants including Alpha Airport Shopping; Burger King; Superdrug; W H Smith and Yates’s Pub.
Leeds-Bradford International Airport has an executive lounge situated on the first floor of the departure lounge. The Servisair's Executive Lounge is available for use by all passengers. The Executive Lounge has an airside view, modern, climate controlled and relaxed atmosphere. Internet docking and work stations have been installed and the entire area is covered by the WiFi network. All of the extra's travellers would expect within an executive lounge are available - complimentary newspapers, unlimited freshly brewed tea and coffee, a well stocked free bar, toast making facilities and light snacks. To ensure customers can keep in touch, the lounge provides facilities including telephones, fax machine and power points for laptops. Access to the lounge can be pre-booked for as little as £12.00 per person, or alternatively you may pay on entry at a rate of £14.00 per person subject to availability.

Getting To The Airport

By road – Leeds Bradford Airport is situated on the A658 just outside Yeadon. It is signposted from all major routes in the area. The A658 runs north from Bradford to Harrogate and Knaresborough. Bradford can be reached by the M62 motorway. Those travelling from Leeds should follow the A65 to Yeadon and turn off onto the A658 and follow signs to the airport from there.
By rail - passengers can travel to Leeds Bradford International Airport by train via Leeds City rail station or Bradford Interchange. Connections to and from the Airport can be made by the MetroConnect Bus Services (See below). If using rail connections through Leeds City station please allow up to 20 minutes to transfer from your train to the 757 bus service.
By bus/coach – There are three MetroConnect services that call at the airport. Metroconnect 747 provides a direct service between Bradford and Leeds Bradford International Airport serving Bradford Forster Square train station, Greengates, Apperley Bridge, Rawdon and Yeadon. The Metroconnect 737 service operates hourly between Bradford and the airport serving Shipley, Guiseley and Yeadon. Metroconnect 757 provides a direct service between Leeds and Leeds Bradford International Airport serving Leeds bus and train stations, Kirkstall, Horsforth, Rawdon, Pool and Otley. Yorkaircoach.com (operated by First York) provides an hourly, express, direct coach service between York rail station and Leeds Bradford International Airport. Finally Bus2Jet service 767 provides a direct service between Harrogate bus station and the airport serving Pannal and Poole

History of of Leeds-Bradford International Airport

Leeds Bradford International Airport was originally Yeadon Aerodrome, which began operating in October 1931. At this time it was on 60 acres of grassland along the Bradford Harrogate Road. By 1935 the airfield had been extended by a further 35 acres and scheduled air services commenced to Newcastle and Edinburgh with North Eastern Airways. In 1936 Isle of Man Air Services operated seasonal holiday services to the Isle of Man and Liverpool. All civil flying ceased in 1939 with the outbreak of war. During the war years more than 4,500 aircraft were built at the Avro Factory adjacent to the Airport, including the Anson, Lancaster, York and Lincoln and many of these made their first flights from Yeadon. So that these new aircraft could be test flown, two runways, taxiways and flight test hangars were built on the aerodrome.

Civil flights began again in 1947, and in 1953 Yeadon Aviation Ltd was formed to operate the Airport and run the Yeadon Aero Club. In 1959 the Leeds Bradford Airport Joint Committee took over the Airport and work was soon underway to improve the facilities, with the installation of permanent airfield lighting and extensions to passenger facilities and apron areas. The first daily London service started in 1960 and later that year Aer Lingus began to operate a service to Dublin. A Public Inquiry followed soon after in 1963 and permission was given to construct a new runway. Work commenced quickly and the new runway became operational in 1965.

In May 1965 the terminal building was substantially destroyed by fire so construction of a new passenger terminal commenced later that year and was opened for use in February 1968.

In 1978 a Government White Paper on Airports Policy identified that Yorkshire could sustain a Category B regional airport, and concluded that Leeds Bradford could fulfil this role provided that the main runway was extended. Construction work began in 1982 on a £23 million scheme to extend the main runway by 2,250 metres, improve and divert the A658 Bradford to Harrogate road (including incorporating a twin tunnel under the runway) and substantial improvements to the terminal facilities.

The completion of the runway extension was marked on 4th November 1984 with two pleasure flights aboard a British Airways Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet and the airport’s first transatlantic flight to Toronto operated by Wardair. The first phase of the terminal extension was opened by HRH the Duchess of Kent on 18th July the following year, and rapid growth followed in both charter and scheduled services. By 1986 half a million passengers passed through the airport.

In 1987, Leeds Bradford Airport was converted into a limited company and the metropolitan councils of Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Calderdale and Kirklees became the shareholders of the new company. In 1996 the Airport saw its millionth passenger. Since 1996 the terminal building has virtually doubled in size with new and improved arrivals and departure facilities, lounges and two new air-bridges. Further developments took place in 2006 to include a £5 million refurbishment and expansion of the catering areas to include a Food Village, Yates's Bar and Burger King.