Campaigners allege Leeds Bradford Airport exceeded night flight cap for third year

The Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport (GALBA) has asserted that Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) has surpassed its designated limit for summertime night flights for the third consecutive year. GALBA indicated that the facility had again violated a regulation confining it to 2,920 flights between 23:00 BST and 07:00 BST during the period from 31 March to 27 October this year. LBA had previously been identified as exceeding its summer night flights limit in both 2022 and 2023, though no additional measures were taken following the latter instance. In response to GALBA’s assertions, the airport maintained it had adhered to “our interpretation of the planning conditions” by which it was governed. GALBA stated its data suggested the airport had operated 820 more flights than permitted during the British Summertime (BST) period, when the restriction is active. The campaign group confirmed it had submitted a formal complaint to Leeds City Council concerning the alleged violation. In June 2023, LBA issued an apology after an investigation concluded it had exceeded its night flights cap, which is established to protect the airport’s neighbours, by 747 flights. At that time, chief executive officer Vincent Hodder stated that “actions have been taken quickly to address the problems that led to this error,” which resulted in the council issuing the airport a breach of condition notice. This notice indicated the site faced potential prosecution if it failed to comply with the regulations in the future. Nevertheless, earlier this year, the airport was again found to have surpassed the limit by a margin of 577 flights during the 2023 BST period. The council opted against taking further action, stating that the “public interest test” to pursue prosecution had not been met. However, the council did reject the airport’s request for permission to operate more flights at night, a ruling the airport has appealed against. Nick Hodgkinson, chair of GALBA, stated: “These rules exist to protect public health but LBA’s bosses clearly don’t care about rules, or the airport’s neighbours. “It would make a mockery of Leeds City Council to let LBA get away with flouting the rules year after year after year.” Hodgkinson added: “GALBA has given the council independent, industry standard data to prove LBA’s unlawful activity, so there’s no excuse for doing nothing again this year.” Responding to GALBA’s claims, a spokesperson for the airport indicated that it has been “consistent that we have and will continue to operate in accordance with our interpretation of the planning conditions” until its appeal against the council’s decision from earlier this year is concluded. LBA further elaborated: “As we have previously stated, the purpose of the existing planning consent when granted was to allow night flights but minimise the potential for increased noise of those flights on local communities. “Our interpretation of the conditions stays true to this purpose and would encourage airlines to deploy the latest generation of aircraft which are quieter and more efficient.” A spokesperson for the council commented: “Following the end of British Summer Time, we will shortly receive Leeds Bradford Airport’s flight data for the final weeks of the 2024 summer season.“This complex technical information will require rigorous analysis by council officers before the airport’s night flight numbers for the summer season as a whole can be calculated.“The monitoring process therefore remains live and ongoing and, as such, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”