East Midlands airport invested in a significant runway extension a few years ago which took it from 2250m (per LBA at the moment) up to 2893m. The airport also sits next to M1 and has a huge 1 hour catchment area. Despite this, a handful of long-haul holiday charters aside, the airport has practically no regular passenger traffic that makes use of the runway extension. What it does have, is a huge overnight mail/freight business that does and the owners of the airport took the decision to invest in the runway extension because through dialogue with their mail/freight business partners they were aware of the increased business that it would generate. Contrast this to Bristol airport which has a runway offering very similar operational performance to LBA, sits 600ft on top of a hill, is on the 'wrong' side of the city for the motorway network and is 90mins from Heathrow. The place is Leeds Bradford with a west country accent yet it offers daily services to New York Newark, with Continental; one of the US majors. All of which serves to demonstrate that (a) a long runway and a motorway link are no guarantees of attracting long-haul scheduled traffic and (b) the huge cost of a runway extension should only be borne if you are confident it will attract new business that otherwise wouldn't come and (c) the types of operator the airport is likely to attract on mid/long haul could be accommodated without an extension or with some minor tweaks to the runway ends (paved undershoot / starter strips etc).

Whoever the new operator will be will have to balance the investment in the airport to things that (a) are mandatory and (b) those which will deliver the biggest financial return. A 300m runway extension ticks neither box. Runway resurfacing on the pre-extension section will soon be mandatory to keep the airport operational, so that's £15 million just to keep the place open. To accommodate much more growth from night-stopping aircraft (which require overnight parking and generate 'rush hours' in the terminal between 6am and 8am) then security and departures requires urgent attention. You then start to move into the nice to haves....work on the undershoots, starter strips, ILS recallibration & upgrades and new terminals. Before committing to this, I'd want to make sure the airline portfolio was diversified and another big player to complement Jet2 was secured. 3 based Ryanair aircraft would generate close to 1m passengers per annum if they flew 3 return flights per day and were 80% full. Allowing for the fact they'd do the Dublin route on these machines, there would still be a net gain of 600 - 700k passengers. That sort of commitment is not difficult to imagine and the passenger volumes then start to justify the nice to haves. Road access will continue to be an issue for the council I'm sure, but one hopes the new airport owners will begin to exert pressure to get things moving (pardon the pun). The solution (as per the airport masterplan)is a link from the A65 close to Rawdon Crematorium which heads due North and comes into the airport site on the south side. Probably 1.5 miles as the crow flies and coupled with junction improvements on the outer ring road could lead to significantly reduced journey times from M621 J1. Such a road would also act as a Yeadon/Rawdon bypass and could be built with bus priority initiatives included to dovetail into the existing A65 proposals, thus providing a viable public transport solution at the airport site, covering both airport patronage and Airedale commuters.

thats great news that there could be an airline flying to Pakistan and should be very populat any ideas on the airline.

this is from PPRuNe Forumes
THE sale of Leeds Bradford International Airport is set to take off next month when its owners issue an information flyer seeking bids in excess of pounds 100m.

Leeds Bradford's five local authority owners have hired accountants Ernst & Young to handle the sale of the latest UK regional airport to be put on the block.

They hope to capitalise on the strong bidding interest in airport assets following the pounds 750m sale of London City Airport and the pounds 60m sale of Exeter, both of which fetched better-than-expected prices.

The fast-growing Leeds Bradford hit the headlines earlier this month when a Sun reporter claimed she had boarded a plane wearing a Muslim niqab veil without being asked to show her face for passport checks.

However, it is the forecasts for passenger traffic growth which will catch the attention of bidders. The flyer is expected to show that the single runway airport has seen a 183pc rise in passenger traffic over the past decade, up from 922,976 passengers in 1995 to 2.61m last year.

Total turnover is up from pounds 17.6m in the year to March 2002 to pounds 21.02m in the most recent financial year, when profits slipped from pounds 881,000 to pounds 788,000 pre-tax. Net assets increased from pounds 31.1m to pounds 34.2m last year. While profits are low, one banker said: "Airports are being sold on passenger forecasts, not earnings multiples.''

Leeds Bradford is expecting rapid passenger growth, partly owing to the expansion of Jet2.com, owned by the private Dart Group. Jet2 passengers at Leeds Bradford rose by 17pc last year. Other customers include Bmi and KLM Cityhopper.

Leeds Bradford directors expect passenger traffic to top 3m in the next two years and reach 5m passengers by 2015.

The airport is situated at one of the biggest conurbations outside London, but loses traffic to neighbouring airports, including Manchester.

Leeds and Bradford councils each own 40pc of the airport, with Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield councils holding the rest of the shares.

Some of the losing bidders for Exeter Airport, including the Low Cost Airport Group led by Blackpool Airport owner Paul Whelan, and Save, the Italian operator of Venice Marco Polo airport, are expected to take a look at Leeds Bradford. Abertis, the owner of Luton Airport, Balfour Beatty, which successfully bid for Exeter, and various private equity groups are also likely to be interested.

Leeds Bradford expects to complete the sale in the first quarter of next year.


> Sale by first quarter next year - they're not hanging around.

Hopfully they build a railway link sooner than later that would solve a huge proble of traffic on the roads and could also be used as a park and ride, for people going into town.

Perfectly put LS16. Agree totally, and that's rare for me (except the fact I would hope to never see a Ryanair base at LBA for a long time to come).

what about having easy jet flying from Leeds

Perfectly put LS16. Agree totally, and that's rare for me (except the fact I would hope to never see a Ryanair base at LBA for a long time to come).
For what reasons?

Easyjet is Jet2 with a different paint scheme. Same business model and not possible for them both to coexist at Leeds. Ryanair #can# coexist and compliment the Jet2/Easy type of operation, as is evident at Liverpool and East Midlands. Destinations into Germany, Poland, Scandanavia and the regional French market are unlikely to be picked up in any volume (if at all) by Jet2 or any other airlines that I can forsee, yet Ryanair are proven at driving volume on routes that other operators simply wouldn't touch....

As it stands today Ryanair have outstanding orders for 168 Boeing737-800s (189 seats) and options on a further 114. They are going to have to put them somewhere and there are clear signs they are happy to move towards thinner routes operating at 3 and 4 times per week. Also, they have a big base at Liverpool and one at East Midlands but have very little presence in Yorkshire and Humberside other than Dublin routes and a few bits at Doncaster. LBA is strategically very well placed to plug this gap and just 3 of these 282 aircraft heading Ryanair's based at LBA would be a positive move. 1 to pick up the Dublin route at much more suitable times for the business and leisure market whilst the slack time on this one and the other two would allow something like 10-12 destinations to be added at 3 -4 times weekly. So let's say;

Hahn, Berlin, Wroclow, Shannon, Riga, Bergerac, Marseille, Nantes, Limoges, Svaksta for starters.

The tour operators seem to think the world starts and stops in Manchester, Jet2 growth will inevitably slow, FlyBE are an enigma, bmi are a shower and Eastern survive by ferrying 10 people a go at £300 return. Ryanair aside, I don't see the growth that will take Leeds from 3m to 4m coming from anywhere else.

Jet2 has a very different business model from Easyjet. It has a different service level, different aircraft utilisation, different yield capitualisation, and moving towards a different aircraft type model.

Some history. Back in 2002, Easyjet were to launch a base from ither Newcastle or Leeds. The Dart Group (Jet2) were to launch a base at Birmingham or Leeds. To cut a long story short...easy chose Newcatle and Jet2 chose Leeds. I am convinced Leeds is much better off with Jet2 than EasyJet as its main core loco carrier. There are no routes that Easyjet can get a hold of that Jet2 have not already snapped up without very significant marketing investment. Unfortunately Easyjets short lived venture into Doncaster may have totally put this airline off from venturing into the Yorkshire market again.

I never understand this obsession with willy waiving at airports that have either more or less passenger figures that LBA. How accessible is East Midlands or Liverpool from the StarAlliance or Skyteam networks?. Even Tees Vally Durham Darlington Yarm International comes in better on that score.

Is Ryanair the answer?...of course, they can put pax through the place...but where to?...some secondary airports in eastern Europe, generally frequented by the migrant worker? or..Skavska...Hahn...Balaton?...come on....is that what you want? What Yorkshire does not need is another Liverpool or Doncaster Airports et al.

Lets say Ryanair put 3 aircraft at LBA. That means three stands have to be built...lets say £3m...areas to procees departing passengers..the tent cost £2.2m..so lets say £3m as it would need much greater land fill than the former. So were up to £5.2m. That is what the airport have to spend on the surface to be able to accomodate a Ryanair base. Accommodation and attraction are two differrent things. Ryanair want in general approx 15p per pax charge, zero landing fees, and minimal handling fees + the 25 min turnaround. The charges will rise over years...but even after 5 years, it may reach only 75p per pax. (Thomson pay 5.25 per pax at LBA). So where does an airport make money from Ryanair? Of course the bars restaurants shops....and LBA has how many of these?...so lets build some...stick another £5m on the capital investment to build accomodation that can handle the correct type of shops to generate enough revenue to offset the capital invsetment. Even with 1m pax running through LBA courtesy of Ryanair, I dont think even my rough fag packet figures even come close to revenue generation until many years.

The new owners may speculate to accumulate over long term, that would be a significant change from the current owners, I am supportive of that...maybe in a few years should there be spare capacity..and of course Ryanair's lack of secondary and tertiary European airports it can bully and needs to put its new aircraft somewhere for a slightly higher price...then this may be viable for the airport. Not at the moment. LBA has just built its foundations in the loco market, and has done it quite well..it has a bit to go, it may seem like all eggs in one basket...but you have to have a core airline to have the foundation, then you can plug the gaps. Manchester and Birmingham had BA historically...look whats happening to that operation now. But in terms of investment and growth for the airport...the challenge is to attract Lufthansa, SAS, and other major European C class carriers (and the corporate business clients with their accounts with them) to shift some capacity to LBA from MAN. This is a very difficult task, but this is a significant way you can attract long term business investment and relocation to the city of Leeds, rather than going to much more accessible destinations such as Manchester. Is a few Ryanair routes from Wroclaw, Lodz, Riga, Santander etc going to do that? They will bring passengers, but will it bring REAL business? Accessibility is the key...just make sure it is from the right places.


Is a Liverpool Airport copy the answer?....discuss

any idea on the airline that might be flying to Pakistan from Leeds Bradford Airport

Some interesting points there luftnachrichten and I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment of your concluding paragraph. Indeed, there was a very interesting debate on Radio Leeds this morning regarding the results of a survey which show that Leeds is the only UK city where average hotel yields are falling. The conclusion (of the manager of Oulton Hall and a representative of the Leeds Chamber of Commerce) was that Leeds' infrastructure and international accessibility had not developed sufficiently to justify the increase from 2700 hotel beds to 6000+ in the last 5 years. The launch of LBA-DUS and the associated overseas promotion by the YTB was touched on as one example of a step in the right direction (135pax on the inbound from DUS last night by the way).

The subjective point therefore is whether international accessibility is always a good thing, regardless of route and operator. In principle, I'm inclined to say yes. Obviously some routes (such as much of Jet2s network) will be aimed principally at the UK originating leisure market and many Ryanair destinations are secondary airports and/or situated in emerging markets. They are however all 'touchpoints' with the international community and provide opportunities for trade and tourism, some of course more limited than others. So is it better to have 196 seats a day to Frankfurt Main using a codeshared bmi/LH Embraer flying twice a day, or 378 seats with Ryanair flying once daily to Hahn. You'd argue the former and I'd be inclined to agree. But achieving it will, as you acknowledge, be very difficult whereas the Ryanair option is a much more achievable goal (in my opinion). Given a choice between a Ryanair service to Hahn and no service at all to central Germany, I'd prefer the Ryanair option. Ditto Scandinavia and some of the emerging markets in Eastern Europe.

So I'm not advocating volume for volume's sake in order to score points on some 'my town is bigger than your town' internet forum. I just think as a city region we need to expand our international reach and the Ryanair model can have a role to play in that. Hopefully not at the exclusion of thinner but more premium routes but to compliment the other operators and business models at the airport. I also think volume breeds volume and the more you push through an airport, the easier it is to sell the idea of new routes to new airlines (although the current team at LBA would go someway to disproving this theory!)

So a Liverpool copy, no. A low-cost / charter / full-service mix such as that being developed at Newcastle or Bristol, yes.

I also think volume will be important to the airport authorities. Note the comment from the article above on the LBA sale "one banker said airports are being sold on passenger forecasts, not earnings multiples.'' Why is this? In my view, because once the capacity is in place, then by and large the cost to the airport does not vary significantly with volume. At LBA the airport owners provide baggage handling and (sub-contracted) security but the rest of the passenger handling piece is picked up by Servisair and Aviance who contract with the airlines directly. So the cost is the up-front expense of providing the capacity and then ensuring this semi-fixed cost base is utilised as much as possible and the non-airline revenue streams are maximised. Take on board what you say about the cost of providing the capacity, but some of this is happening already (apron and car parking) and the rest (the terminal) needs to happen to accommodate much more in the way of growth from anyone, be that Jet2, Ryanair or anyone else. Is the extra cost in building capacity into the terminal to accommodate Ryanair that prohibitive given the terminal needs fundamental work anyway?

will the airport name change?

will the airport name change?

It has been mentioned that Bradford council has asked for assurances that 'Bradford' will remain part of the airports name. I would imagine that at the end of the day the decision will ultimately rest with its new owners.

For those interested - this is the report that Leeds City Council produced and circulated to the other councils in order to proceed to phase2 of the sale. It is agenda item 16, which starts on page 270 on my version of adobe acrobat. Item 3.3 makes reference to the requirement to protect the name in the preferred deal structure.

http://www.leeds.gov.uk/moderngov/Published/C00000102/M00001102/$$ADocPackPublic.pdf

Just heard that Astreaus are axeing there LBA base at the end of this summers charter season on Wednesday.

The Based B737-700 will be heading for London Gatwick. Crews have been told to relocate to Gatwick or Manchester. Astreaus will still be seen at LBA other the winter season. There are planned to operate a weekly ski charter to Chambery on Saturdays witha B737-300 and on Wednesday to Banjul Gambia also from December with B737-700 Aircraft.

So dose anyone know whos taking over the Astraeus programme from Next summer 07? I Have heard roumors that bmi british midland could be basing a Airbus A320 at LBA to do the programme along with there exsisting Scheduled programme. But others have been mentioned. My Travel/Sky Service A320's again, Thomas Cook A320's and European air Charter with a old B737-300.

Which statement is that Leeds No 1? please give me an exact source other than the YEP...

The tender documents are only in draft phase. No statement is made in those douments that says the name is to remain the same...only "a regional reference is to be maintained"

I am in the know on this little event....
Leeds No 1 ...either put up or shut up..!! or prepare for an excess of humble pie eating

For those interested - this is the report that Leeds City Council produced and circulated to the other councils in order to proceed to phase2 of the sale. It is agenda item 16, which starts on page 270 on my version of adobe acrobat. Item 3.3 makes reference to the requirement to protect the name in the preferred deal structure.

http://www.leeds.gov.uk/moderngov/Published/C00000102/M00001102/$$ADocPackPublic.pdf

:dunno:

I win, you lose.

Let me requote myself.

The tender documents are only in draft phase. No statement is made in those douments that says the name is to remain the same...only "a regional reference is to be maintained"

Since when have council minutes and tender portfolios been the same thing?In the same light, what is in the sale portfolio may be very differerent from what ends up in the final contract after due dilligence.

Leeds No1, my point was not indicating the airport name will change, I am sure that it won't, my point was to just get you off this thread with your very tiring contributions that show your complete lack of understanding of tha aviation industry. I get the impression from other threads and forums on several subjects that I'm not the only one who thinks this about you.

Just heard that Astreaus are axeing there LBA base at the end of this summers charter season on Wednesday.

The Based B737-700 will be heading for London Gatwick. Crews have been told to relocate to Gatwick or Manchester. Astreaus will still be seen at LBA other the winter season. There are planned to operate a weekly ski charter to Chambery on Saturdays witha B737-300 and on Wednesday to Banjul Gambia also from December with B737-700 Aircraft.

So dose anyone know whos taking over the Astraeus programme from Next summer 07? I Have heard roumors that bmi british midland could be basing a Airbus A320 at LBA to do the programme along with there exsisting Scheduled programme. But others have been mentioned. My Travel/Sky Service A320's again, Thomas Cook A320's and European air Charter with a old B737-300.

Unfortunately true. Astreaus were to lease a 737-800 for the LBA SO7 programme. MyTravel as the principle charterer for 85% of the weekly aircraft utilisation programme had not signed the contract with Astreaus in time, creating the knock on effect that Astreaus would not (obviously) sign the lease agreement for the aircraft. There seems to be a number of rumours floating about the industry who may take the contract on, Bmi, being the most prelevant, one would hope whoever may operate it, it will be sorted out in the next couple of weeks, otherwise the risk could be that the sharers start to leave, and the contract becomes less viable on a based unit.

It is also looking doubtful that Banjul will operate from LBA, due to poor pre-bookings at the Leeds end. The Bournemouth side is apparently performing well.

In which case, you lost even more as it clearly did not get me off this thread.

Any news on the Pakistan flight

Any news on the Pakistan flight

I hate to say it but it was just a rumour, but a strong one at that. I usually avoid talking about rumours as they more than often don't happen. Still keep your fingers crossed.

thanks smartcity lets hope the rumour comes true as it would be very popular

I hate to say it but it was just a rumour, but a strong one at that. I usually avoid talking about rumours as they more than often don't happen. Still keep your fingers crossed.

There was some information in a aviation weekly magazine sometime ago (can’t remember which one) that Emirates was talking to airports in North England, LBIA is in a catchments area where after London, there are more Pakistani Asians so obviously there is a lot of potential for very successful operations to Pakistan.

Also if we are in Rumour mode, Delta are expanding at a very large rate, they have procured EX TWA 757-200s for operations over the Atlantic to England and parts of Europe where there are no other American ops, so which this space, a potential 2008

**I’m new to this forum, my interests are mainly in aviation technology, and I’m doing research into aircraft networks for my MSc dissertation.

Welcome to the forum, XEROX1 and thanks for the information. Nothing like a good rumour to keep the juices flowing!

Hia XERON1 that would be very good if leeds had Emirates and Delta flying from them to Places like America and Pakistan. could Emirates also fly from Leeds to Dubai as that is there base.

Hia XERON1 that would be very good if leeds had Emirates and Delta flying from them to Places like America and Pakistan. could Emirates also fly from Leeds to Dubai as that is there base.

If it does happen (could be any other northern airport,NLC?) flights to Pakistan from LBIA wont be direct, but through Emirates Dubai hub, so i guess if people just want to go their i suppose you can?? The great thing about Emirates is that LBIA would be getting 777-200s, 777-300s, which shouldnt be an issue for the airport providing its 80% at take off weight, ill try and dig up the magazine.

New York and Pakistan are the 2 majors, LBIA need, that has been stated by Ed Anderson many times. Deltas Atlantic expansion stratergy for its soon to be aquired 757s are to use them on airports who dont have any american carriers, Leeds, newcastle??

Welcome to SSC XEROX1

I've heard a rumour that Horsforth golf club members are to meet over the next week or so to discuss the council selling off land on which 5 holes from the club is situated upon.

I'll have more when I know more but this suggests to me that the council must be selling off additional land to prosective buyers as potential development space.

Dubai would be an excellent destination in itself and also for all the onward connections.

I also think think that a flight to to the states is essential if the airport really wants to be live up to 'international' tag.

I think any new destinations will be good news. The first thing is to sell the airport and hope that the new owners have the industry links and capital to take the airport to where it should be. I do not think LBIA can compete with Manchester, but do believe that right now the passenger numbers should be at the 5m mark that NEMA, Newcastle and Bristol are at.

Before we get carried away with too many destinations outside the EU, I think the airport would benefit from seeing some EU flag carriers. This would be a sure sign of the economic power of the city and Lufthansa, Air France and Iberia in addition to KLM would be more than welcome on routes to Frankfurt/Munich, Lyon and Madrid respectively. This would be more a sign of a move forward that a Delta or Continental flight as cool as that would be.

LBA still misses out on countless lo cost flights also. JET2 are doing a quality job and hats off to them, but should they carry all the risk going forward. You only have to look at the amount of flights from Liverpool and even destinations served by Doncaster.

Does anyone know how the charges compare at LBIA to those of either competing or similar sized airports?

Well a little good news today after last weeks announcement that Astraeus is to pull out of Leeds. It is now looking like BMI will be taking on the Airtours and Thomas Cook program for next summer. Hopefully, BMI should make a better go of it as they already have a long established base at the airport.

Here are some more pictures taken today of the new business park Airport West.

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k145/airportsuk/S5021577.jpg

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k145/airportsuk/S5021576.jpg

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k145/airportsuk/S5021575.jpg

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k145/airportsuk/S5021574.jpg

When the landscaping is complete it should look quite good.

its really comming along.

It is good to see that BMI are actually doing something really positive for LBA at last. They have basically salvaged a great deal of our summer 2007 programme. I do wonder where the aircraft will be coming from though. Overnight should look good with both an A319 and A320 on the deck.

I do wonder where the aircraft will be coming from though. Overnight should look good with both an A319 and A320 on the deck.

I think BMI also take deleveries of some brand new A321s in 07

I think BMI also take deleveries of some brand new A321s in 07
Would the seating copacity be simuler to A320 or more. And any news on the posible Pakistan flight.

Would the seating copacity be simuler to A320 or more. And any news on the posible Pakistan flight.

A321 at 185 seats in 2 class config and the A320 at 150 seats in 2 class config.

On the Pakistan routes i suppose its a matter of watching and waiting, if any major routes are to be anounced they would surly be for summer 08, they would have been on sale now if it was for the summer of 07

If a new Pakistan service was to be announced it would be for next summer. It would be a scheduled service not a holiday charter service which don't require quite as much pre planning.

If a new Pakistan service was to be announced it would be for next summer. It would be a scheduled service not a holiday charter service which don't require quite as much pre planning.

New services which come online for the summer are usually put up for sale the previous autumn, you could be right, or then again you could be wrong and we have missed the boat for the summer 07. The next month(s) is important, so lets see what happens.

Thanks XEROX1

Check out this Doncaster Sheffield Airport Forum it has Movements,daily/monthly logs,covers all other surrounding airports and airfields e.g Leeds,Humberside,sandtoft,gamston,East midlands etc,SBS,photos and a lot more.
Check it out here:
www.dsamovements.proboards101.com

Cheers
Dsa Movements

leeds and bradford now flies to almeria

Leeds Bradford sale to take off this week
06.11.06

The sale of Leeds Bradford Airport is set to take off, with press reports suggesting that it could raise £150m for its five local authority owners. The councils hope to capitalise on the strong bidding interest in airport assets following the £750m sale of London City Airport and the £60m sale of Exeter, both of which fetched better-than-expected prices.

The fast-growing Leeds Bradford has seen a 183 percent rise in passenger traffic over the past decade, up from 922,976 passengers in 1995 to 2.61m last year. Total turnover is up from £17.6m in the year to March 2002 to £21.02m in the most recent financial year, when profits slipped from £881,000 to £788,000 pre-tax. Net assets increased from £31.1m to £34.2m last year.

While profits are low, airports are currently very popular with infrastructure investors, and are being sold on passenger forecasts rather than earnings multiples. Leeds Bradford is expecting rapid passenger growth - to 3m in the next two years and 5m by 2015 - and the likely sale price will reflect this.

Some of the losing bidders for Exeter Airport, including the Low Cost Airport Group led by Blackpool Airport owner Paul Whelan, and Save, the Italian operator of Venice Marco Polo airport, are reported to be interested in the airport. Abertis, the owner of Luton Airport, Balfour Beatty, which successfully bid for Exeter, and various private equity groups are also reported to have looked at the airport.

Leeds Bradford expects to complete the sale in the first quarter of next year.

If it is to be sold for a very high price, I would like the money to be spent on transport- London City at £750m would cover supertram! You know, while an arena is good- if its going to be pulling in over £250m- surely thats at least one supertram line covered?

If it is to be sold for a very high price, I would like the money to be spent on transport- London City at £750m would cover supertram! You know, while an arena is good- if its going to be pulling in over £250m- surely that's at least one supertram line covered?

Do you not feel that the council is more likely to make a balls of it and waste the money on something trivial that nobody really wants?

Do you not feel that the council is more likely to make a balls of it and waste the money on something trivial that nobody really wants?

Possibly! However, with all the talk of green taxes etc. etc. Perhaps they think that now is a good time to sell before airports are made un-profitable by central government.

Possibly! However, with all the talk of green taxes etc. etc. Perhaps they think that now is a good time to sell before airports are made unprofitable by central government.

Profits aside, Leeds Bradford Airport and its associated businesses employs around 2500 people from mostly Leeds and Bradford. It makes a sizable contribution to the West Yorkshire economy. The airport is at a growth stage where it can build on the present foundations to improve its profitability.

The airport is at a growth stage where it can build on the present foundations to improve its profitability.

For the airport to sustain growth, lets sort out the ridiculas transport links and infastructure, Like i said on another forum - Hypothetical scenario, wouldn’t it be feasible to build a new airport, with the huge amounts of money being banded around to purchase, upgrade transportation links, and build up of airport amenities, wouldn’t it be logical to build a brand new airport £circa 500-700 million, an airport which is nearer the centre of Leeds and close to all major roads. Im sure with this we wouldnt have to worry about runways lenghts, apron space etc, with this im sure we can sustain a higher level of growth over a much longer period of time.

Profits aside, Leeds Bradford Airport and its associated businesses employs around 2500 people from mostly Leeds and Bradford. It makes a sizable contribution to the West Yorkshire economy. The airport is at a growth stage where it can build on the present foundations to improve its profitability.

Sorry! I didn't mean that Leeds Bradford was not profitable, just that future political thinking could affect all airports, Leeds Bradford included. I personally feel that the airport is the jewel in the crown of the council and that it could be undersold for a quick buck. Selling off the family silver so to speak.

For the airport to sustain growth, lets sort out the ridiculas transport links and infastructure, Like i said on another forum - Hypothetical scenario, wouldn’t it be feasible to build a new airport, with the huge amounts of money being banded around to purchase, upgrade transportation links, and build up of airport amenities, wouldn’t it be logical to build a brand new airport £circa 500-700 million, an airport which is nearer the centre of Leeds and close to all major roads. Im sure with this we wouldnt have to worry about runways lenghts, apron space etc, with this im sure we can sustain a higher level of growth over a much longer period of time.

Should have been done 25 years ago at least.

Sorry! I didn't mean that Leeds Bradford was not profitable, just that future political thinking could affect all airports, Leeds Bradford included. I personally feel that the airport is the jewel in the crown of the council and that it could be undersold for a quick buck. Selling off the family silver so to speak.

An airport has always been considered the 'diamond' centre piece of any international city. Lets be honest, it's the main reason why Manchester is better thought of than our great city. This doesn't mean that we cannot have an airport to be proud of, even on its current site. The biggest problem has always been the lack on investment. Personally I have never thought that Leeds City Council hasn't wanted to develop the airport. The problem is justifying the initial investment. I think people need to understand that whilst the airport isn't making shed-loads on money at the moment, it has been quoted by the current MD Ed Anderson, that the airport company expects to make rather more money over the coming years. I personally would like to see Ed stay in his position at the airport after the sale. He has the knowledge, he just hasn't had the money to do the job that is needed to be done.

An airport has always been considered the 'diamond' centre piece of any international city. Lets be honest, it's the main reason why Manchester is better thought of than our great city.

I was going to say as much in my last post but I didn't want to get into that Leeds Manchester debate again.

www.gallerynorth.co.uk

If it is to be sold for a very high price, I would like the money to be spent on transport- London City at £750m would cover supertram! You know, while an arena is good- if its going to be pulling in over £250m- surely thats at least one supertram line covered?

Even if it sells for £250m (which is a lot higher than predicted) then wont Leeds only get 40% of this which is only £100m.

From PPrune

(in turn from FT)....


"MAR properties, a Northern Ireland company that owns Blackpool, Wolverhampton airports is bidding for Leeds Bradford airport, which could be worth about £100m. Based in Belfast and owned by Noel Murphy, Adam Armstrong and Bill Rushe, MAR confirmed it had expressed an interest to Ernst and Young which is handling the sale on behalf of a group of 5 local authorities that own the airport. As Leeds Bradford is a publically owned transport facility, under EU rules there has to be a pre-qualification process as part of the tender, which is expected in the next couple of weeks. Others expected to bid include Abertis, owners of Luton, Cardiff and Belfast International airports, Balfour Beatty, which was part of the consortium buying Exeter airport for £60m and SAVE, the Italian owners of Venice's Marco Polo airport.

MAR also owns office and retail property in Toronto and a shopping centre in Barking east London. The three owners of MAR jointly own Monty's Pass, winner of the 2002 Grand National".

Is MAR the people behind the former attempts to build a 'mega' shopping centre in Leeds? I think a company like that would be good for the airport and for Leeds.

Jet 2 to fly all year round to Krakow with 4 a week from March and October . flying on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. bringing the number of Destinations during summer months to 23 and the number of flights per week to ruffly 156

from http://www.phpbber.com/phpbb/viewforum.php?f=1&mforum=airportsuk

9 November 2006

New direct coach service to link York with Leeds Bradford Airport


A new non-stop direct coach service will link York with Leeds Bradford Airport for the first time, the York Press reports. First York plans to run express coaches on the route, that could slash up to 35 minutes off normal journey times between the city and the airport.

The plan, to be announced formally at the Yorkshire Tourism Awards next Friday, could revolutionise the travelling habits of the York business community and holidaymakers and create a convenient service to the city for European tourists.

Until now the quickest way to get to the airport from York and vice versa was by taxi, at a cost which can be negotiated at about £60 return. Otherwise travellers would journey by train from York to Leeds and then pick up a half hourly service to the airport stopping at all bus stops via Otley. This could take more than an hour and a half, depending on link times. The new route, on the other hand, would take 55 minutes, traffic permitting.

Initially the express coaches will run every hour from 04:45 to 23:00 seven days a week from March 1 next year. The fare structure is still being calculated.

this is great news for people of York wanting to go to Leeds Bradford Airport

Sold out.... trade mission to Pakistan
A TRADE mission to Pakistan from Yorkshire next February is a sell-out.
All places on the February mission, which will be led by a civic delegation from Leeds, were snapped up at a business networking event in Leeds.
Organiser Tim Bailey, of Chamber Management Services, the international arm of Leeds, Bradford, York and North Yorkshire Chambers, said: "We're delighted, naturally.
"Trade with Pakistan is an increasingly important part of the regional economy and there is huge potential there. Networking events are a marvellous opportunity for businesses to learn at first hand the advantages and pitfalls of trading abroad."
Important
Delegates and sponsors were welcomed by the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Coun Mohammed Iqbal, and the keynote speaker was Hamish Daniel, the British Deputy High Commissioner and Director of Trade and Investment in Karachi.
Mr Daniel said it was important to see today's Pakistan as modern and vibrant. There had been a revolution in shopping, with many High Street names appearing, and with huge increases in trade and exports from the UK.
He added: "There is a huge warmth from the people you meet, and huge interest in expanding business and education links."
Sponsors for the networking evening included Etihad Airways, Habib Allied International Bank and Leeds Bradford International Airport.
The trade mission will visit Karachi and Lahore and meet government ministers and local officials.
10 November 2006

http://www.leedstoday.net/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=40&ArticleID=1871757

Sold out Trade Mission + Sponsor Leeds Bradford International Airport + Sponsor Etihad Airways= flights?

Sold out.... trade mission to Pakistan
A TRADE mission to Pakistan from Yorkshire next February is a sell-out.
All places on the February mission, which will be led by a civic delegation from Leeds, were snapped up at a business networking event in Leeds.
Organiser Tim Bailey, of Chamber Management Services, the international arm of Leeds, Bradford, York and North Yorkshire Chambers, said: "We're delighted, naturally.
"Trade with Pakistan is an increasingly important part of the regional economy and there is huge potential there. Networking events are a marvellous opportunity for businesses to learn at first hand the advantages and pitfalls of trading abroad."
Important
Delegates and sponsors were welcomed by the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Coun Mohammed Iqbal, and the keynote speaker was Hamish Daniel, the British Deputy High Commissioner and Director of Trade and Investment in Karachi.
Mr Daniel said it was important to see today's Pakistan as modern and vibrant. There had been a revolution in shopping, with many High Street names appearing, and with huge increases in trade and exports from the UK.
He added: "There is a huge warmth from the people you meet, and huge interest in expanding business and education links."
Sponsors for the networking evening included Etihad Airways, Habib Allied International Bank and Leeds Bradford International Airport.
The trade mission will visit Karachi and Lahore and meet government ministers and local officials.
10 November 2006

http://www.leedstoday.net/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=40&ArticleID=1871757

Sold out Trade Mission + Sponsor Leeds Bradford International Airport + Sponsor Etihad Airways= flights?

Yes, I think the cat might be out of the bag there Leeds No1. As far as I understand they are looking at flights to Pakistan via Dubai from Leeds Bradford.

Thats even better then; 2 destinations in one flight; Dubai would be a major new destination alone!

Yes, I think the cats out of the bag there Leeds No1. As far as I understand they are looking at flights to Pakistan via Dubai from Leeds Bradford.

I commented on this a fews ago on another forum, why would an emerging airline major be co-sponsering with the airport? Fishy, IF they do start we may be welcoming some Airbus A330-200s

Thats even better then; 2 destinations in one flight; Dubai would be a major new destination alone!

Etihads base is Abu Dhabi, heard its not as great as Dubai.

Yeah well it's all the same area! I'm sure its not hard to get from Abu Dhabi to Dubai by train or whatever.

what are Etihad Airways like and so this means that we get two destinations in one thats great. 4 a week or more would be good. so would it go via Dubia.

Ethiad have been advertising for some months now in the YEP and YP. Why? Well because they launched a daily Manchester - Abu Dhabi service earlier in the year and are desperately trying to build up some brand awareness given their business model is pretty much that of Emirates and Qatar who also operate from Manchester. For what it's worth, the business models in question are to shift as many possible as people into 'hub' airports in the middle east and then offer onward connections to Middle East / Africa / India / Pakistan / Far East / Australia & NZ. Dubai is increasingly a popular leisure destination from the UK, so Emirates pick up a bit of North UK - Dubai traffic on the Manchester - Dubai route, but about 75%+ are connecting onwards. For Ethiad and Qatar and their respective hubs in Abu Dhabi and Doha, 90%+ of the traffic is connecting passengers (from Manchester; London is different).

So unlikely you will see Ethiad anytime soon at LBA. The business model would, in theory, work well given the huge range of onward connections available and the size of the local asian populations. Given Emirates, Ethiad and Qatar are all fighting it out for the same market at Manchester, it would make sense for one of the smaller two to break ranks and try another option in the North. But I doubt Leeds-Abu Dhabi is doable direct and as soon as you start introducing en-route fuel stops the whole thing becomes instantly less attractive for both the airline and passengers alike. Don't expect to see it happen any time soon. Plus, why would ANY airline not currently operating from Leeds at the moment sign up at the moment when they absolutely no idea who will be running and owning the airport 6 months from now?

A Leeds - Pakistan service basically put together as a quasi-charter operation by the travel trade in Bradford is still the best hope of getting something to that part of the world in the longer term.

they could easely fly from Leeds bradford without a fuel stop especialy as Leeds Bradford can take there A330s. This would also be very popular in the Pakistani comunities in Leeds and Bradford.

theres been new rumers recently on other forums that Jet2 are getting 767's and it's been on www.cabincrew.com as well.

theres been new rumers recently on other forums that Jet2 are getting 767's and it's been on www.cabincrew.com as well.

Theirs no smoke without fire simcity4, this "rumour" has been doing the rounds for a very long time, personally i can see it fit with Jet2s operational requirments, esp with high pax golden routes.

Regarding the aircarft, it will most likly be a Boeing 767-200, it has commonalty with their other med-haul 757, and im sure their are plenty available from the same dessert Jet2 purchase their 757s.

Ulster firm sets sights on Leeds Bradford airport

By Nigel Tilson
20 November 2006

Northern Ireland company MAR Properties is aiming to buy Leeds-Bradford airport, it emerged today.

The property firm, which already owns Blackpool and Wolverhampton airports, confirmed that it has entered the acquisition process for the English airport.

Accountants Ernst & Young are handling bids for Leeds-Bradford on behalf of the five local authorities that jointly own the complex.

Early speculation is valuing the airport around £100m.

Robin Horner, the newly appointed chief executive of MAR, said: "Leeds-Bradford is one of the few remaining airports in the UK currently in public hands and its sale represents a great opportunity which we hope to pursue, probably in conjunction with a partner, though the procurement process is still at an early stage."

Mr Horner, the former Belfast director of IBI Corporate Finance, said MAR had enjoyed very rapid growth in recent years.

"We now have a diverse portfolio of properties in Britain, North America and across the island of Ireland. I expect the company to continue its dynamic growth in the years to come."

Gibraltar-based Adam Armstrong, director and co-owner of MAR, said appointing a chief executive reflected the company's determination to continue professionalising its operations.

"In addition to our early interest in Leeds-Bradford we have also been active in other areas recently and we expect to be able to confirm another major acquisition in the coming weeks," he revealed.

Earlier this year MAR purchased eight properties in the Carmichael pub group in Northern Ireland.

It is also involved in joint ventures promoting the proposed £300m regeneration of Queen's Parade in Bangor, the massive Castlebawn scheme in Newtownards and the mixed use Obel scheme currently under construction on the banks of the Lagan in Belfast.

In addition MAR has extensive retail assets in Britain and residential assets in Toronto, Canada.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/business/story.jsp?story=715243

So the ball has began to roll

Airport Sale Update.

Northern Ireland company MAR Properties are not the only ones that are bidding. Balfour Beatty has confirmed it intends bid for LBA today as well.

http://www.cnplus.co.uk/news/news_a...d=55823&sid=107

why was Jet2 flighing to Dublin from leeds , was it a special or are they planing to do flight to Dublin.

Spain's Abertis looks at Leeds airport-paper

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish infrastructure group Abertis (ABE.MC: Quote, Profile , Research) is looking at Leeds Bradford airport with regard to a possible purchase, El Economista newspaper reported on Thursday.

The Barcelona-based company, which operates Luton airport, is looking at the books of the airport, owned by Leeds and Bradford councils plus other regional councils, an Abertis spokesman told the paper.

No-one at Abertis was immediately available to comment.

However, the spokesman told El Economista that no decision had been made.

"We still haven't decided whether we'll make a definitive offer. We are still studying the bid specifications," the newspaper quoted the spokesman as saying.

The move comes at a time of strong investor interest in UK airport sales and follows the recent auctions of Exeter airport, likely to fetch 60 million pounds, and London's City airport which went to a U.S. financial consortium for an undisclosed sum.

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlebusiness.aspx?type=businessNews&storyID=2006-12-07T080223Z_01_L07826702_RTRUKOC_0_UK-LEEDS-ABERTIS.xml

The big boys could be about to enter the fray

now that would be a good compeny to own Leeds Bradford as they own Luton and so will have good experience with running airports.

I still feel Balfour Beatty are the best people for the job. They have nearly 7billion pounds of capital behind them and portfolio to match.
www.balfourbeatty.com

Similar article:

Spanish operator looking at Leeds Bradford Airport lol


07/12/06

The books of Leeds Bradford International Airport (LBIA) are currently being scrutinised by Abertis, it has emerged.

However, the Spanish infrastructure firm, which is in talks with Actividades de Construcciones y Servicios over a takeover of its Latin American airports, told Reuters that it was not interested in bidding at this stage.

"We've got the information about the project ... but we haven't considered making an offer or anything," said a spokeswoman.

If Abertis was to buy LBIA, it would mark the second major Spanish investment in the UK aviation market within a year – construction and services group Ferrovial bought out BAA in June, gaining operating control of 11 British airports.

LBIA was put up for sale last month, with a starting price set at £150 million.

Ulster firm MAR Properties are also reported to be mulling over an offer for the Yorkshire facility.

Two not so good stories related to LBA at the same time - below are the papers quotes, maybe we'll learn more from our men there?


http://www.thisisbradford.co.uk/news/tibnews/display.var.1074734.0.airline_caught_up_in_travel_firm_collapse.php
Airline caught up in travel firm collapse
By Sunita Bhatti

Low fares airline Jet2.com has been caught up in the collapse of a travel company.

CT2, which also traded under the names HCCT Holiday Limited and LOCO Flights, has not paid airlines, including Leeds-Bradford Airport-based Jet2.com, for about 37,000 tickets it has booked for holidaymakers.

Jet2.com is one of a number of airlines affected, with others being Thomas Cook and Monarch.
Advertisement continued...

It is estimated that about 1,000 holidaymakers, including Jet2.com customers are abroad on trips booked through the Sale-based travel firm but authorities say they will be able to complete their breaks.

People due to fly out on trips booked through the company are advised to contact their travel agent or the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

The CAA has confirmed that the CT2 still holds an Air Travel Organisers Licence (ATOL), the protection scheme for consumers where firms put down a bond to pay for holidays and flights in case they go bust.

The CAA said that ATOL was now making arrangements for the 1,000 or so customers abroad to complete their holidays and return to the UK.

The CAA added there were nearly 40,000 people with forward booking and they would get a full refund.

CT2 employs about 100 staff and operates mainly in the north west of England and Yorkshire.

It has booked tickets to destinations mainly in Spain and the Canary Islands.

Flights operate through Manchester, Leeds-Bradford, Belfast and Blackpool airports. No-one at Jet2.com was available for comment last night about the situation.

No-one was answering the phone at CT2 and its website was "currently unavailable".


and

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-6280566,00.html

The Government has confirmed its backing for two new south-east England runways and greater use of Heathrow Airport's existing runways.

But Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander said that a new runway at Stansted Airport would not be operational before 2015 - more than three years after the projected date put forward in the Government's 2003 Aviation White Paper.

And plans for a third, short, runway at Heathrow Airport would have to meet strict environmental targets. Also there are now no plans to extend the runways at Bristol and Leeds Bradford Airports, despite extensions being backed by the Government in the White Paper.

Leeds can still take planes like 767s and what about the 787 which can use small runways like Leeds. so I suppose Leeds can still expand into the Long distant flights even with out expanding the runway. But yet agoun the south gets everything and the North doesn't

what a suprise london gets all the infrastructure development just to underline the growing difference between london and the rest of the uk, total joke labour was formed in bradford tony blair is a northern man why do the london centric attitude persist in the goverment total joke!!!!!!!!!!!!!

we need to start our own political party and vote it in then screw london back to the stone age only joking!!!!!!!!!!!! but you get me

the way the goverment stopped the people of yorkshire gettin devolved powers and its own goverment still pisses me off like nothing else if we had our own assembly we would have sorted the whole transport issue out for the roads to the skys

Calm down. If you actually read the report it says that the airport operators at Leeds and Bristol have indicated that they will not be progressing plans for a runway extenstion before 2016. It is a decision made by the airport operators, not the Government. Of course, the current operators at Leeds will be in situ for a about 3 more months and then new owners will be in place. They may (or may not) have a completely different opinon on the merits of a runway extension and with nothing in yesterday's update to suggest that Government support had been withdrawn, that particular avenue is still open to them if they deem it to be a good investment.

Calm down. If you actually read the report it says that the airport operators at Leeds and Bristol have indicated that they will not be progressing plans for a runway extenstion before 2016

Yes this is true, why would the current owners of the company want to extend the runway and improve / upgrade the infastructure when their selling the buisness in a matter of months.

Bet your bottom doller though that the new owners will improve the infastructure and runway - be it through ILS, runway extension or relaying, within a few years.

Leeds can still take planes like 767s and what about the 787 which can use small runways like Leeds. so I suppose Leeds can still expand into the Long distant flights even with out expanding the runway. But yet agoun the south gets everything and the North doesn't

Providing its not 100% full on take-off, Leeds can handle 747-400s, 777-200s, just to name a few of the bigger mainstay a/c. Additional to this we do have a large catchment area that could support routes to many North American, European, Middle Eastern and Asian routes.

Its a shame really that our 'national carrier' British Airways,....erm no sorry i mean London Airways, is so South Centric, i wouldnt mind to fly BA but dont have the means to traval all the way down to Heathrow (ex Man), they should be reprsentive of the whole counrty, have small bases at all major airports, cities.

From today's York Evening Post:
£10 fare for bus to Leeds Bradford Airport
By Mike Laycock

TEN pounds. That will be the cost of a ticket to ride on a new express bus from York to Leeds Bradford Airport.

Bus operator First today revealed details of its hourly, non-stop coach service, which will be launched on Monday, February 26.

Commercial director Peter Edwards said that passengers booking online would pay £10 for a single ticket and £15 for a return, with accompanying children aged up to 16 travelling free.

But he revealed that such tickets would also cover the cost of a local First bus service to get passengers from their home to the airport bus stop near York Railway Station.

He said the fare was a highly competitive rate. "It will mean a big saving in comparison with the cost of parking a car for a week at the airport." A week's parking at the airport costs £40.

Mr Edwards said that First would encourage people to book online, as this would give the company a better idea of the anticipated numbers wanting to travel on any particular day as well as reduce boarding times.

However, passengers could pay on the bus if they preferred, at a cost of £12 single and £17 return, but without the benefit of free bus travel to the airport bus stop.

He stressed that as well as major benefits for York people wanting to get to the airport, the new service would also mean a big boost for the city's tourism economy, as travellers arriving at Leeds would be able, for the first time, to get on a bus and travel direct to York.

Until now, the quickest way to get to the airport from York and vice versa has been by taxi, at a cost of about £60 return.

Otherwise travellers have to journey by train from York to Leeds and then pick up a half- hourly service to the airport stopping at all bus stops via Otley, potentially taking more than an hour and a half, depending on link times.

The new route, which is being set up by First in conjunction with Leeds Bradford Airport, City of York Council, Yorkshire Forward and low-cost flight operator Jet2, will take about 55 minutes, traffic permitting. Coaches by First will be equipped with luggage space and staff to help with baggage.

Plans for the new airport service were exclusively revealed by The Press in November. York tourism boss Gillian Cruddas then hailed it as "one of the most exciting pieces of news we have had for years," claiming it had the potential to bring millions of pounds into the city through extra tourism and conference business.

Even £15 seems expensive to me. It may be cheeper than parking at the airport but I don't think it's cheep enough to tempt people away from getting a lift to the airport. Why can Megabus charge as little as £1 for a trip to London? I feel £5 each way would have been a more reasonable fare.

Completely agree; it is expensive. £15 would get me to Leeds and back nearly 3 times (adult) on the train. They can charge that much because they know its got no direct competition.

It should be max 10% of a taxi fare, otherwise what's the point to wait for a bus for 1 hour - and I bet it will be late all the time. Also, if you travel with a partner, then again it's nearly the same price for a taxi as for a bus :hammer:

Bus companies need to get down to Earth, or, even better, get regulated, or, still better, nationalised.

or just have the better option of having another big bus Co' in Leeds meening that they have to up there game to compeat! and bring down prices! and bus drivers would have a choice who to work for and get better treetment and better pay! First has a monopoly in leeds and we need another big compant to come in! NOT NATONALISATION!!!

Agree Rhinomatt that the near monopoly Fir$t has on bus transport in Leeds is a bad thing and that there should be more competition and a return to regulation but guess thats for another thread. By the way considering 2006 has now finished what are the total passenger figures for 2006 and how much has it risen from 2005 and what projections are there for an increase in 2007? Also does Leeds Bradford Airport handle any freight or mail services as opposed to passenger flights?

Agree Rhinomatt that the near monopoly Fir$t has on bus transport in Leeds is a bad thing and that there should be more competition and a return to regulation but guess thats for another thread. By the way considering 2006 has now finished what are the total passenger figures for 2006 and how much has it risen from 2005 and what projections are there for an increase in 2007? Also does Leeds Bradford Airport handle any freight or mail services as opposed to passenger flights?

The passenger figures for 2006 are not public yet. I suspect despite large increases the figure probably still didn't meet the magic 3 million. Without any major blows during 2007 the 3m mark is sure to be surpassed.

With respects to your question about freight and mail services. Despite the fact that Jet2 operates a large contingency of QC aircraft their mail and freight services tend to be from other airports such as Stansted. A small amount of freight is handled on an add-hoc basis by bulk load and a small amount is carried on some of the normal passenger services.

Talking about JEt2, apparently they have announced that they are sacking Servisair as their ground handlers and taking this on themselves. Are you affected by this Smartcity and do you know anymore?

Talking about JEt2, apparently they have announced that they are sacking Servisair as their ground handlers and taking this on themselves. Are you affected by this Smartcity and do you know anymore?

The contract between Jet2 and Servisair is due to run out. The airline has been trialling in-house handling in Mercia during the course of last summer, so it's always been on the cards. The Servisair staff were all called to a meeting to explain the situation and were told that if they wishes to transfer over to Jet2 handling they would have to re-apply for their positions. The move will leave the Servisair Leeds Station a very small concern at the airport. There will obviously be a posibility of Jet2 handling other airlines as well. The move does not affect me at all.

Just found this video, i think its got a great title for the state of the runway:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eND1RoUl0T0

and there's this one showing the airport:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ebjc2KZ6Vg&mode=related&search=

and then this fantastic one showing the city when on approach to the airport:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVK7l1wIyfU&mode=related&search=

i hope its not considered as bad as Bristol - theyre having to close that one down to do repairs arent they?

Commercial director Peter Edwards said that passengers booking online would pay £10 for a single ticket and £15 for a return, with accompanying children aged up to 16 travelling free.

But he revealed that such tickets would also cover the cost of a local First bus service to get passengers from their home to the airport bus stop near York Railway Station.
I think that's actually very very good value.

Leeds Bradford Airport is celebrating its record breaking year.

2006 saw almost 2.8 million passengers pass through the terminal to over 65 scheduled and charter destinations, representing a 7% increase against 2005.

In the same year the airport celebrated its 75th anniversary, 18 new direct services commenced - linking Yorkshire to areas including, amongst others, Austria, The Gambia, Ireland, Italy, Germany and Poland.

Airport Managing Director LBA Manager comments on the year ahead,

“We are delighted that airlines and tour operators are continuing to expand programmes from Leeds Bradford Airport. We look forward to welcoming both new and regular business and leisure passengers and are confident that 2007 will prove to be another successful year for the Airport”.

lbia.co.uk

3m should be reached this year with Jet2 hinting of many more new routes to come.

3m should be reached this year with Jet2 hinting of many more new routes to come.
That's all fine and dandy, but when are they going to upgrade the terminal facilities to cope with the extra passengers? And I'm not talking about the WH Smiths and Greggs. The check-in area is so badly designed, it's like it wasn't designed at all...and the security area. It might have been fine 25 years ago when there were < 1 million passengers, but today?!

Any new investors must address these problems at the same time as expanding capacity.

I'm sure it will as it is part of the white paper but hopfully it will happen sooner than later.

The check in area is not so bad, (if you're a BMI customer with hand baggage you can just use the self check in machines, takes 30 seconds) but the security facilities are absolutely abismal..come on LBA, do something about it.

The check in area is not so bad, (if you're a BMI customer with hand baggage you can just use the self check in machines, takes 30 seconds) but the security facilities are absolutely abismal..come on LBA, do something about it.

As far as I am aware, since the councilors decided to sell the airport various schemes have had to be shelved while the sale process is completed. The new company which is to take over the airport could have very different plans to the current limited company.

As I understand it, projects shelved included a multi storey car park which would have been built immediately in front of the terminal building in short stay car park 1. The terminal front was due to be extended across the taxi rank to provide additional retail and check-in space incorporating a new central screening zone which was going to be built this winter on the first floor next to the Food Village. This project would have had various new escalators and lifts included in the development.

I estimate that the airport has been held back considerably by these constraints brought about by the 5 councils. At a guess the airport is probably about 2-3 years behind on its original development plans.

On the bright side the new apron space is nearly complete and it is looking like it will be handed over to the airport from Bentley's during February.

Top news about the apron. How many additional aircraft does this hold? Will this additional capacity allow JET2 to further expand.

Any further news about BMI taking over the Thomsonfly routes?

Shame that the airport has gone backwars. I am however optimistic that this will be quickly rectified once the new owners take over. Anyone travelling through the airport can see that parking and security are a priority. I travel through LBA every week and can say that I used to have to walk 100 yards from long stay 1 and now find myself walking bloody miles from LS3.

Security is a pain in the arse and is not helped by the current rules.

It would be brilliant if the new owners really had some serious money and ideas and built a new terminal at a level with the apron (essentially on top of the long stay car park). There is so much space for expansion. Let us hope that whoever gets the deal is serious and not looking to simply milk the airport.

Hi

bmi regional have just announced a new once daily LBA - Copenhagen route. Due to commence for the summer 07 season on March 26th. The new flights will be operated by one of the airlines Embrear 145 regional jet aircraft. Also the mid morning Edinburgh service is been retimed to offer an early inbound Edinburgh-LBA service.

Heres the changes.

• Leeds Bradford-Copenhagen schedule:
BD491 Leeds Bradford-Copenhagen depart 1000, arrive 1255 (Mon to Fri)
BD491 Leeds Bradford-Copenhagen depart 0705, arrive 1000 (Sat, Sun)

BD492 Copenhagen-Leeds Bradford depart 1325, arrive 1425 (Mon to Fri)
BD492 Copenhagen-Leeds Bradford depart 1030, arrive 1130 (Sat, Sun)

• revised Edinburgh-Leeds flight timing:
BD410 Edinburgh-Leeds Bradford depart 0705, arrive 0805 (Mon to Fri)

BD409 Leeds Bradford-Edinburgh depart 0830, arrive 0930 (Mon to Fri)

^^ This is great, ive always wondered why we were never connected to scandinavia and now we finally have and to the best city in scandinavia as well, i would have prefered Jet2 did it though rather than flying on one of those little flying test tubes that BMI always use.

thats great, i always am pleased when leeds is linked to another city, i wonder if there is ever any tourist promotion of the city (as opposed to york/yorkshire) in the centres leeds has airlinks to. if places like manchester, newcastle, birmingham and glasgow can be destinations, leeds certainly can (tho a couple of iconic major new attractions would help. A LOT)

Updated destinations count for 2007.

Well Leeds Bradford Airport now has direct flights to some 70 destinations as listed below.

Aberdeen
Acapulco - Mexico (Cruises Only)
Almeria
Alicante - Costa Blanca
Amsterdam
Arrecife - Lanzarote
Banjul – The Gambia
Barcelona
Belfast City
Belfast - International
Bergerac
Bergen (Day Trips Only)
Bristol
Bridgetown – Barbados (Cruises Only)
Brussels
Bourgas
Bodrum
Chambery
Cork
Corfu
Copenhagen
Cyprus – Larnaca
Dalaman
Dublin
Dusseldorf
Edinburgh
Exeter
Evens (Day Trips Only)
Faro
Fuerteventura
Galway
Geneva
Glasgow
Heraklion – Crete
Ibiza
Isle of Man
Inverness
Innsbruck
Jersey
Kitilla( - Lapland Day Trips and One off Departures only)
Krakow
Las Palmas - Gran Caneria
London – Heathrow
Malaga - Costa Del Sol
Malta - Luqa
Mahon - Menorca
Milan – Bergamo
Murcia - Costa de Caldia
Newquay
New Orleans (Cruises Only)
Nice
Palma de Mallorca - Majorca
Paris – Cdg
Plymouth City
Pisa – Florence
Prague
Reykjavik - Iceland (Day Trips Only)
Rome – Fiumicino
Reus - Costa Dorada
Rhodes
Rovaniemi - Lapland (Day Trips and one off departures)
Tenerife – South
Toulouse
Salzburg
Sicily (One off Departure)
Southampton
Varna
Valencia
Venice - Marco Polo
Zakynthos – Zante

thats great, i always am pleased when leeds is linked to another city, i wonder if there is ever any tourist promotion of the city (as opposed to york/yorkshire) in the centres leeds has airlinks to. if places like manchester, newcastle, birmingham and glasgow can be destinations, leeds certainly can (tho a couple of iconic major new attractions would help. A LOT)

Yes there are; definetley. Marketing Leeds/LeedsLiveItLoveIt do this. But Dortmund for example promotes Leeds; as do all its twin cities. I noticed a Jet2 promotion poster for Leeds at Geneva Airport in Feb 2005 too.

Hi

bmi regional have just announced a new once daily LBA - Copenhagen route. Due to commence for the summer 07 season on March 26th. The new flights will be operated by one of the airlines Embrear 145 regional jet aircraft. Also the mid morning Edinburgh service is been retimed to offer an early inbound Edinburgh-LBA service.


Hold your horses:) This is BMI's third or fourth attempt at starting the Copenhagen route, presumably stopped on previous occasions by the Star Alliance group.

Lets just hope that it goes ahead this time around.:cheers:

Hold your horses This is BMI's third or fourth attempt at starting the Copenhagen route, presumably stopped on previous occasions by the Star Alliance group.

By all accounts, SAS and Lufthansa who each own 20% of BMI want out, meaning BMI would have a better chance of starting a direct route, instead of doing the code sharing for SAS or Lufthansa, on this premise it could be posible for BMI to be given slot time for Frankfurt.

So why are the Star Alliance so against the LBA route to Copenhagen. Is it I guess a potential loss of custom from Manchester - Copenhagen or is there some other reason for this? Certainly is a good thing that BMI are to try and start flights to Copenhagen and hopefully Frankfurt though and it would be good to see increased flights from a broad selection of airlines.

It's about time we re-established our links with Scandinavia. I've got an old 1960s map somewhere which shows a car ferry route to Denmark from Goole, of all places.

If the LBA-Copenhagen route does open, then I'll be in there like a shot - as will many of my friends.

So why are the Star Alliance so against the LBA route to Copenhagen.
Leeds Bradford Airport is a Star Alliance airport - but I think to get to Denmark using Star Alliance you have to go via Amsterdam, meaning a direct flight will take away custom?

Hi

Well look who's now trying to buy are local airport. Sir Graham Hall he is the Former chief exec of Yorkshire Electricity and now with Bridgepoint Capital.

Also today is the day that the 5 local conuils will chose the top 4 bids for the airport as well. so could be an intresting 24 hours. Wonder who will get into the next round?


As quoted in the TTG - 12-01-07
Former Yorkshire Electricity chief exec Sir Graham Hall is spearheading a bid by Bridgepoint Capital to buy Leeds/Bradford airport.

Hall confirmed he was leading Bridgepoint's bid, which is likely to be one of up to four that will be shortlisted to aquire the airport today.
Hall declined to comment on Bridgepoint's proposals but identified the expansion of Europes routes, capital investment and retail development as the three main areas of opportunity at the airport.
While the initial asking price for Leeds/Bradford was thought to have been about £40m (TTG Oct 20th 2006), the sale last week of Exeter International airport to Regional and City Airports for £60m is likely to have bumped up bids considerably.
The final price for Leeds/Bradford has already been tipped as high as £100m.
The airport is estimated to have handled about 2.9 million passengers last year.
Hall and Bridgepoint are likely to be up against some stiff competition from other UK airport groups and venture capital companies, though it is thought that an interested US bidder has already dropped out.
Hall said his experience running a private sector company and chairing regional development bodies, Yorkshire forward and Northern Way would stand him in good stead as a strong local candidate to run the airport.
Leeds and Bradford city councils, which own 80% of the airport are to begin the bidding process today (Friday) and will be keen to seal a deal by April before council elections take place.

Heres there website link.
www.bridgepoint-capital.com/default.asp?sID=1101378498812

So why are the Star Alliance so against the LBA route to Copenhagen. Is it I guess a potential loss of custom from Manchester - Copenhagen or is there some other reason for this? Certainly is a good thing that BMI are to try and start flights to Copenhagen and hopefully Frankfurt though and it would be good to see increased flights from a broad selection of airlines.

You've hit the nail on the head there. The problem has almost certainly been because the possible leakage of passengers back across the Pennines to use any new service at Leeds. What has changed now is the fact that the airlines in the Star Alliance are probably realizing that if they don't start-up a service from Leeds to Copenhagen then Jet2 or another low cost airline will. If that were to happen then the services from Manchester to Copenhagen would be seriously affected. This is probably already the case with the Jet2 Dusseldorf service. It is reported that as many as 40% of the passengers on that service are from Germany, so moving away from the more traditional carriers.

Leeds Bradford Airport is a Star Alliance airport - but I think to get to Denmark using Star Alliance you have to go via Amsterdam, meaning a direct flight will take away custom?

Leeds Bradford Airport is NOT a Star Alliance airport

Leeds Bradford Airport is NOT a Star Alliance airport

Well thats not right. bmi are part off the star alliance are they not? Also if you go onto the star alliance website http://www.staralliance.com/en/travellers/index.html you can book flights to all bmi destinations from Leeds/Bradford.

So I,m taking a guess by theses findings we are a star alliance airport

Well thats not right. bmi are part off the star alliance are they not? Also if you go onto the star alliance website http://www.staralliance.com/en/travellers/index.html you can book flights to all bmi destinations from Leeds/Bradford.

So I,m taking a guess by theses findings we are a star alliance airport

That's pretty much what I was going by

Well thats not right. bmi are part off the star alliance are they not? Also if you go onto the star alliance website http://www.staralliance.com/en/travellers/index.html you can book flights to all bmi destinations from Leeds/Bradford.

So I,m taking a guess by theses findings we are a star alliance airport


Sorry, I was being facetious. It isn't the airport that's a Star Alliance member, it's the airline BMI.

Hi

Just found out that Infratil did put a late bid for Leeds/Bradford airport. Infratil currently own 2 other UK airports, Glasgow Prestwick & Manston Kent International Airports.

Also Route News

bmi regional are to drop there 3 times daily LBA-Paris Cdg route from Saturday 25th February 2007. So just leaveing the once daily Jet2 service from LBA to Paris.

Hi

Just found out that Infratil did put a late bid for Leeds/Bradford airport. Infratil currently own 2 other UK airports, Glasgow Prestwick & Manston Kent International Airports.

Also Route News

bmi regional are to drop there 3 times daily LBA-Paris Cdg route from Saturday 25th February 2007. So just leaveing the once daily Jet2 service from LBA to Paris.

any update on the shortlisted bidders?

I hope Jet2 take up the free slots to Paris.

From YP (http://www.yorkshire-post.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=56&ArticleID=1973689):

Airport prepares for sell-off

Shortlist of bidders to be drawn up after indicative offers made

David Parkin
Business Editor

THE privatisation of Leeds Bradford Airport will take a major step forward this month when a shortlist of bidders is drawn up.

Potential buyers had to submit indicative bids by last Thursday and now experts from accountancy firm Ernst & Young, which is handling the sale of the local authority-owned airport, will draw up a shortlist of around three or four.

That is likely to be completed by the end of January with a preferred buyer announced by early April.

The sale of the airport at Yeadon by the five West Yorkshire councils which own it was announced late last year and is likely to reap each windfalls of millions of pounds.

Up to a dozen organisations are thought to have submitted indicative bids with offers for the airport likely to be well above £100m.

Favourites to be on the shortlist include a private equity bid being spearheaded by former Yorkshire Forward chairman Sir Graham Hall and a consortium involving construction giant Balfour Beatty which bought Exeter Airport for £60m earlier this month.

Industry experts believe that the airport is likely to attract worldwide interest and estimates suggest that it will fetch a price of between £100m and £140m.
Sources close to a number of the bidders have said that they expect the final figure to be around £120m.

The airport, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year and had almost 2.8m passengers fly through it last year, is owned by Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Calderdale and Kirklees councils, with Leeds and Bradford each owning 40 per cent.

Groups which have declared an interest include Regional and City Airports, part of Balfour Beatty's specialist airport investment and development group.
The ambitious group is a joint venture between Balfour Beatty Capital, the group's investment arm. It already owns Exeter Airport, and London City Airport and is keen to expand its portfolio.

The group is being advised by Rod Hoare, the transport industry veteran who is the former chairman of the Heathrow Express and chief executive of Metronet, which runs part of the London Underground system.

Another bidder is private equity group Bridgepoint Capital whose bid is being led by Sir Graham Hall, former chief executive of Yorkshire Electricity and the former non-executive chairman of regional development agencies Yorkshire Forward and The Northern Way.

Bridgepoint is being advised by merchant bank N M Rothschild, led by its Leeds-based managing director David Forbes.

Richard Tollis, aviation partner with Ernst & Young, is heading the team handling the sale on behalf of the local authorities.

His team dealt with the £750m purchase of London City Airport last year as well as airports in Budapest, Hungary; Bratislava, Slovakia; and the sale of Newcastle Airport.

When the sale of Leeds Bradford was announced in December, Mr Tollis said it was likely to attract a great deal of interest. "Prices have been very buoyant in this market. We are already seeing strong interest because this may be the last opportunity to acquire a privatising regional airport in the UK."

It is thought unlikely that Manchester Airports Group – which is local authority-owned and operates Manchester, East Midlands, Bournemouth and Humberside airports – would be among the bidders for Leeds Bradford.

bmi regional are to drop there 3 times daily LBA-Paris Cdg route from Saturday 25th February 2007. So just leaveing the once daily Jet2 service from LBA to Paris.

That really is a dissapointing decision. Did bmi give any reason for this as been one of the four key world wide hubs in Western Europe alongside Heathrow (for BA), Amsterdam Schipol (for KLM) and Frankfurt (for Lufthansa which still does not have any flights from LBA and should certainly be a target for a new route) then it really does need a comprehensive service from Leeds Bradford and also due to the obviously large tourist and business use of Paris it is dissapointing to see what is effectively a 75% drop in LBA-CDG flights. Could we see Air France take on this route perhaps or has Jet 2 or anyone come along to take over these routes?

From YEP today, gives a bit more background.
Kind of bad news but it looks more like a switch of routes for bmi, and Jet2 must be rubbing their hands together.

REGIONAL airline bmi is dropping its Leeds to Paris service.
bmi said flights from Leeds Bradford Airport to Paris Charles de Gaulle, which have operated since 1996, "would be suspended" but gave no date for when they might be re-introduced. A spokesman said that flights from Leeds would continue until the end of the winter season, on March 25.
The airline has also taken a similar decision to "suspend" flights between London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle. It is blaming a steady decline in the overall air market combined with an increase in the number of competitive services between London airports and the French capital.
Nigel Turner, bmi's chief executive officer, said this meant the route was no longer commercially viable. Fourteen Paris-based bmi workers would be affected by the decision, the company said. Low cost flights to Paris from East Midlands Airport, operated by its bmibaby subsidiary, were not affected. Leeds-based Jet2.com, responding to bmi's announcement, said it remained "utterly committed" to its Leeds to Paris service and the airline was looking to increase capacity.

The news that bmi is scrapping a service from Leeds comes just weeks after the airline announced it was launching a new daily service between Leeds and the Danish capital, Copenhagen. The new service begins on March 26, the day after the Paris service ends. It is also introducing a new early morning service from Edinburgh which the firm said would help meet the growing demand for services between Leeds Bradford Airport and Scotland.

Atleast Jet2 will be increasing copacity on the rout. Hopfully BMI will do more flights from Leeds to places like Copinhagen were there is not compitition with Jet2.

At least Jet2 will be increasing capacity on the rout. Hopfully BMI will do more flights from Leeds to places like Copenhagen were there is not competition with Jet2.


BMI have announced daily flights to Copenhagen starting in the spring.

The sale of Leeds Bradford Airport is likely to raise substantially more than the £120m - with suggestions that it will end up around £150m - for its council owners when it is privatised later this year, the Yorkshire Post reports. A shortlist of up to five bidders was drawn up yesterday by a panel representing the five West Yorkshire local authorities that own the airport.

A total of 65 expressions of interest were received from groups wanting to buy the airport. Around a dozen groups submitted indicative bids earlier this month, with the level of bids suggesting that it will take a bid at the high end of the scale to secure its purchase, the newspaper reports.

Richard Tollis, the aviation partner at accountancy firm Ernst & Young, who is leading the team handling the sale of Leeds Bradford for its local authority owners, told the newspaper: 'I really do think we have got some very positive development proposals and that we are going to be able to secure a very attractive price.'

Those interested in buying Leeds Bradford include international operators, other airport groups, private equity groups and infrastructure operators. Among those known to be keen are a private equity bid being spearheaded by former Yorkshire Forward chairman Sir Graham Hall and a consortium involving construction giant Balfour Beatty, which recent bought Exeter Airport for £60m.

Another bidder is private equity group Bridgepoint Capital whose bid is being led by Sir Graham Hall, former chief executive of Yorkshire Electricity and the former non-executive chairman of regional development agencies Yorkshire Forward and The Northern Way.

The airport is owned by Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Calderdale and Kirklees councils, with Leeds and Bradford each owning 40 percent and the other three councils sharing the remaining 20 percent. The selected bidders will have until the end of February to submit their final offers and then a preferred and reserve bidder will be announced by early April.

40% of £150m is £60m for Leeds council to spend.
How best to use it?

Hi

BBC's local Look North programme here in West Yorkshire tonight reported about the sale of Leeds/Bradford Airport.

Click here to view report by BBC Look North. You'll need eaither the Real Player or Windows media player to watch it.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_6290000/newsid_6291200/6291231.stm?bw=bb&mp=rm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_6290000/newsid_6291200/6291231.stm?bw=bb&mp=rm)

And click on the following link to read the website story from the BBC Leeds website.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_yorkshire/6292673.stm
_________________

40% of £150m is £60m for Leeds council to spend.
How best to use it?

They'll probably waste it on some quango :ohno:

40% of £150m is £60m for Leeds council to spend.
How best to use it?

A new LUFC stadium, chairman, manager and players !
Ummm.... maybe not

By the way what ever happend to the proposals for the new LUFC stadium in south Leeds, stourton I think was the location mentioned ?

that went when we didn't get into the champions league

40% of £150m is £60m for Leeds council to spend.
How best to use it?

Well hope this £150 million would be spent wisely amongst the five local authorities and not wasted. Does anyone know how much a link road to the M62 would cost from the Airport as for access as well as a rail link is what this airport desperately needs especially from the south of the West Yorkshire conurbation and it could double up as the Western part of the Leeds Outer Ring Road.

That £150m should be spent on transport I think; particularly on the airport. Improved links between the airport, leeds/bradford and the M62 would be good. A motorway would be good I think. Through the centre of the conurbation could relieve so much traffic from the whole of east Bradford and west Leeds.

Does anyone know how much a link road to the M62 would cost from the Airport.
Improved links between the airport, leeds/bradford and the M62 would be good. A motorway would be good I think. Through the centre of the conurbation could relieve so much traffic from the whole of east Bradford and west Leeds.
I'd have to hope for Leeds and Bradford to go in together on an £80Mil motorway from the M62 to the airport, doubling up as the Leeds West/Bradford East outer ring road

£60m + £60m for Leeds/Bradford= £120m together. £80m for a short motorway seems alot! Rail links could and should be improved with that money too. And get longer trains.

Motorway costs a fortune - for example M6 extension in Carlise by 5.4miles will cost about £175 (probably much more by the time they've finished).

That is typical of the cost of motorways these days.

How far is it from the M62 to the airport?

With the £150m they may be able to build 4 or 5miles of motorway I suspect.

13km? Its not that far, but it seems alot further because theres no direct link from the M62. It would also be a fast link from the M62 (and in turn the M1) into the Yorkshire Dales.

I don't really think it needs to be motorway; dual carriageway would do. I think probably a normal A road would get too congested though.

It is actually strange a road hasnt been built here; look how many jobs it would do:

Serve the thousands (hundreds-of-thousands) of people in East Bradford and West Leeds.
A quick access route for the airport
A quick access route for the Yorkshire Dales, avoiding Leeds/Bradford. Could link to the Airedale Expressway (is that its name?).
Reduce congestion in Bradford particularly, but Leeds too.

Infact, it would be alot more useful than the M606.

what destination will Leeds have in the future.

I think there could be flights to Pakistan, Dubai, Indea, New York, Washington, Toronto, Madrid, Athens, Lisbon, Berlin, Warsaw and Zurich.

Feel free to add to this and Query anything.

what destination will Leeds have in the future.

I think there could be flights to Pakistan, Dubai, Indea, New York, Washington, Toronto, Madrid, Athens, Lisbon, Berlin, Warsaw and Zurich.

A NO to India and Washington, because theirs no demand vies-a-vie with the non-existent catchments area.

A certain probability would be with more expansion for Spanish and Eastern European expansion and also expansion for business orientated travellers i.e. Frankfurt.

On the list, Pakistan and New York are probable in the near future as would be Canada, if we have a Middle Eastern carrier we could kill to birds with one stone, Dubai to mot parts eastwards.

New aircraft technology will allow smaller aircraft to travel much further. The Boeing 737-700 and the A318 already come into this category. These aircraft should make destinations in America and parts of Asia more viable from Leeds. One example of this is the service already operating to Gambia.

How popular is this service to the Gambia and what airline operates this service and is is direct or does it stop somewhere along the way to pick up more passengers?

Also surely priorities for new routes should include direct flights to the other London Airports as well as Heathrow to allow for connections from those airports and for access to their respecive localities such as Stansted for East Anglia, Gatwick for South London and the south coast and City for the City and Canary Wharf. Also they really need to have more business orientated flights such as Frankfurt and has anyone come along to operate those lost flights between Leeds Bradford Airport and Paris CDG perhaps Air France, FlyBe or Jet 2 could takeover those routes? Also they should really introduce flights to other major European destinations such as Berlin and Madrid and more places in the East such as Tallinn, Warsaw, Budapest and Moscow. Finally for long haul surely its best to hope in my opinion for flights to the Indian sub-continent and Dubai and to have flights to New York and Florida hopefully with a long haul operator who doesnt quickly go bust (such as when Swefly briefly operated flights to Lahore, Pakistan from Leeds Bradford)? Would it be more likely be a small operator like that or would a big name operate flights?

Thanks Xeron1, could 787 use Leeds Bradford when they are built.
Val Verde I don't know how populer Gambia is but I know that Austrarou operate it (not sure how its spelt) and they fly from Bormouth to Gambia vie Leeds. Jet2 will probebly do flights to warsaw, Madrid and maby Budapest from Leeds. They could also do flights to Gatwick. There was an American arline that was expanding in Britain but i've forgoten the name.

could 787 use Leeds Bradford when they are built

It will, but it would be dependant on take-off weight, it is very similar to a Boeing 767-300, and requires a runway lenght which we may already have at LBIA.

The good thing about the Boeing 787 is that it would open up Leeds to longer ranged destinations for point-2-point routings, so in theory we could fly non-stop from Leeds to Australia on a 789:banana:

There was an American arline that was expanding in Britain but i've forgoten the name.

Im betting on Delta, their updated policy is flying into destinations which are not served by american carriers, by procuring TWAs 757-200 a/c they have plans for European expansion.

Double Post

40% of £150m is £60m for Leeds council to spend.
How best to use it?

ARENA ARENA ARENA

New aircraft technology will allow smaller aircraft to travel much further. The Boeing 737-700 and the A318 already come into this category. These aircraft should make destinations in America and parts of Asia more viable from Leeds. One example of this is the service already operating to Gambia.

Hey Smartcity, good to see you the other day! My brother's snowboard arrived in one piece. Hurrah!

The last time I flew into or out of Leeds Bradford was in 1985 and I was on the Boeing Tristar on the way back from Majorca that overshot the runway and careered down the grass bank. Bonkers. Anyhoo, statistically I've had my one aircrash. Viva Jet2.

Hey Smartcity, good to see you the other day! My brother's snowboard arrived in one piece. Hurrah!

The last time I flew into or out of Leeds Bradford was in 1985 and I was on the Boeing Tristar on the way back from Majorca that overshot the runway and careered down the grass bank. Bonkers. Anyhoo, statistically I've had my one aircrash. Viva Jet2.

Good to see you mate. I hope you can make it to the next SSC Leeds bash. Oh and here it is. The 400 seater Tristar that you were on that landed halfway down the runway before overshooting (not a good idea on a relatively short runway!!)

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/SMARTCITY/Tristar_overrun.jpg

At least you lived to tell the tail.

Check this out folks.... Is this what is going to put a nail in the coffin of Thomson's future plans at Doncaster.

www.jet2holidays.com