Latest news with #GALBA
BBC News
11-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Public Inquiry to start into Leeds Bradford Airport night flights
A public inquiry into night-time flying rules at Leeds Bradford Airport's is set to begin later. Ahead of the hearing, BBC Yorkshire's Transport Correspondent Spencer Stokes takes a look at the key issues at stake. What is the inquiry about? Chaired by an independent planning inspector, the inquiry will consider the legal meaning of the night-time flying rules at Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA).Currently the airport is permitted 2,920 take offs and landings between 23:00 and 07:00 during the campaign group Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport (GALBA) say the airport has breached that limit in each of the past three LBA chief executive, Vincent Hodder says the rules, agreed by Leeds City Council in 1994, do not take into account changes to aircraft technology over the past 30 years to reduce noise. What's the background to the inquiry? GALBA say LBA has exceeded its night-time flight limits in 2022, 2023, and 2024 - in the most recent year it said the airport operated 820 more flights than airport has admitted it did "accidentally" breach the night time regulations in 2022 due to "errors taking place in reporting procedures", but claimed it had not gone over in 2023 and 2024 based on its interpretation of the a bid to update the 1994 planning consents, LBA applied to Leeds City Council last year for a Certificates of Lawfulness of Existing Use Development (CLEUDs).It said updating the rules would "provide the correct legal interpretation of the existing planning conditions governing the operation of night flights at LBA".However, two CLEUD applications were rejected by the council and the third was left "undecided", prompting LBA to appeal to the government's planning inspectorate. Where does Leeds City Council stand? Leeds City Council agreed the original planning consent in 1994 permitting 2,920 night flights, and is responsible for monitoring to make sure LBA does not breach the night time flights issued a breach of condition notice against LBA for the additional flights in 2022 and accepted the rules were broken again in 2023, but said the public interest for a prosecution had not been action has been taken after the alleged breach in summer 2024. Has aircraft technology changed? The European Commission said aircraft have become 75% quieter over the last 30 years, but an increase in the number of flights has resulted in a rise in noise disturbance for a greater number of who are based at Leeds Bradford Airport, have ordered 146 Airbus A320 Neo aircraft, which the airline said are 50% quieter than their current Boeing 737s. When will the public inquiry reach a decision? The Planning Inspector will hear evidence for four days, but it's likely to be several weeks or months before the final decision is says if LBA is successful at public inquiry "they will continue to fly hundreds more night flights than the original rules intended to allow.".The airport said it would not be going through the "difficult, time-consuming and expensive process if this wasn't important to our customers and the airport". Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
13-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Leeds Bradford Airport expansion to be completed by winter 2026
The expansion of Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) is set to be completed in winter 2026 as it prepares to enter the second phase of extension of the existing terminal is expected to be finished by summer second phase of the development, which has just been granted permission, is the refurbishment of the current terminal by winter Hodder, chief executive of LBA said it was "the first major improvement to our terminal since its opening in1968 and is long overdue". He added: "It's vitally important to upgrade LBA to the world-class facility Yorkshire deserves."LBA also announced that the contract to complete the upgrade would be awarded to Northern Irish firm Farrans Montague, its regional director, said: "Leeds is an important region for our business."We are all frequent users of LBA and we are looking forward to working together with the airport's team on the successful delivery of the next stage of the project." By 2025, LBA said it expected to contribute a total of £460m to the local economy, directly employing 2,100 people and indirectly supporting 4,500 Reeves, Chancellor of the Exchequer and MP for Leeds West and Pudsey, previously opposed expanding LBA but has since changed her mind and stated "the way we fly has changed". She has since backed a third runway at London Heathrow and the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield led to activists from the Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport (GALBA) to protest outside Ms Reeves' constituency office. The Chancellor had justified her U-turn by saying planes now ran on 'sustainable' aviation fuels (SAF).But GALBA chair Nick Hodgkinson said: "I'm sorry to say that claim does not stand up to scrutiny. "While SAF can be made from waste matter, there is a very limited supply of genuinely sustainable feedstock to make it."LBA aims to become a net-zero carbon airport by to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.
