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 work.

The extension of the existing terminal is expected to be finished by summer 2025.

The second phase of the development, which has just been granted permission, is the refurbishment of the current terminal by winter 2026.

Vincent 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 Construction.

Cathal 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 jobs.

Rachel 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 Airport.

This 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 2030.

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