Leeds Bradford Airport Commemorates 40 Years Since Runway Extension

Leeds Bradford Airport has commemorated four decades since a significant runway enhancement enabled the introduction of transatlantic air travel. The inaugural flight from West Yorkshire to Canada departed on 4 November 1984, subsequent to the completion of the runway extension work. This undertaking, which commenced in 1982, involved constructing a tunnel to route the A658 beneath the primary airstrip, thereby allowing the facility to accommodate larger aircraft, including Boeing 747 jumbo jets. Vincent Hodder, the airport’s Chief Executive Officer, characterized the extension as a “significant milestone” that facilitated over two million flights taking off and landing at the location. Initially established in 1931 as Yeadon Aerodrome, the site served general aviation and training purposes until World War Two halted civil aviation in 1939. However, upon the resumption of flights in 1947, the existing short runway proved insufficient for contemporary jets, meaning large aircraft such as the 747 could not utilize the airport until the extension was finished. To observe the completion in 1984, Yorkshire Post Newspapers (YPN) chartered a Boeing 747 for two flights, named ‘Spirit of Yorkshire’, which departed from and returned to the airport. Following this upgrade, an Air France Concorde charter flight from Paris made its first landing at the airport in 1986. Leeds Bradford Airport operated as a public limited company managed by West Yorkshire’s five councils until its sale in 2007. It is currently under private ownership by Australian-based AMP Capital. Addressing the most recent plans for site improvements, Mr. Hodder further stated: “The airport has continually strived to improve in that time and our LBA: REGEN plans reaffirm our commitment to continually develop and evolve our services.”