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They've been placed into storage, so it's not a huge deal. There are costs with reinstalling the lights and ILS equipment, but it's minor in the grand scheme of things.
AS I understand the land they were on has been handed back to the landowner so its no longer that simple. And it will cost a hell of a lot to reinstall them and the associated wiring even if a new owner agreed a new lease.
But I would argue that DSA is viable. Peel have long had their own agenda when it comes to land and airports, and DSA is perfectly capable of attracting 2m passengers a year. Some of the TUI flights were very busy despite high prices, and the airport should manage to attract charter flights too, as well as at least one LCC. It needs a proper public transport connection however, and this might be the dealbreaker.
There's the problem, 2m passengers is nowhere near enough to even break even. Reading over on some aviation forums, insiders tell me that you'd need to close to double that to make the site actually profitable. Its no good having one carrier with some full flights a few times a day, you need that airport handling passengers from the start of the day until late at night. Once Jet2 had settled into it's new base at LBA (I understand Peel tried to get them to base at DSA) the writing was pretty much on the wall. As Jet2 grew in strength so did LBA and frankly there was never going to be enough room for both.
Had they based at LBA who knows what might have happened, although DSAs location may have meant that a lot of the flows that go through LBA today may have instead migrated to Manchester. Its really not in an ideal spot for the most densely populated areas of Yorkshire, and beyond that well its mainly small towns and fields. The next nearest major towns and cities are closer to East Midlands and Birmingham than they are DSA. So had Jet2 gone to Doncaster, maybe they wouldn't have been successful enough to grow as they have. I'm afraid its really over for DSA, the only people still clinging onto the idea are enthusiasts and some desperate politicians. The industry tried DSA and decided it wasn't for them.
They've been placed into storage, so it's not a huge deal. There are costs with reinstalling the lights and ILS equipment, but it's minor in the grand scheme of things.
But I would argue that DSA is viable. Peel have long had their own agenda when it comes to land and airports, and DSA is perfectly capable of attracting 2m passengers a year. Some of the TUI flights were very busy despite high prices, and the airport should manage to attract charter flights too, as well as at least one LCC. It needs a proper public transport connection however, and this might be the dealbreaker.
Do you know how much ILS costs to install? Do you know how much it costs to maintain? Particularly CATIII which DSA had at both ends under Peel ownership. So much for Peel wanting it to fail!
This isn’t just some minor cost, this is one of many significant costs that the council appear to be promising to shoulder to entice a budding experienced airport operator to run it for them.
I do believe it might reopen, I also believe that the Council will continue to throw money at this vanity project due to the ground swell of public opinion in Doncaster (and Doncaster alone) to say that now they are a city, well they must have an international airport.
The vast majority of airports are private ventures these days. This one failed miserably in spite of it being the most accessible (in terms of motorway access) in Yorkshire. Why did it fail? The core catchment area is tiny and it’s wider catchment area is sewn up by other airports offering more to the airlines Doncaster would need to attract to be viable.
If they can’t get easyjet (who have no base in a 70 mile radius, certainly not east of the Pennines) then there really is no hope for it. They did try twice in the airports history, pulling out both times due to poor load factors (and therefore revenue). The ‘experienced operator’ will simply back out as soon as they have to put their own money on the table. It’s not even clear who is interested or what their vision for the site might be, it could end up servicing only General Aviation.
Sorry, just how it is. Should never have been built in the first place. peel and the Government refused to heed expert advice back in 2003, there are far less possible airline options now than there were then. The ones that have emerged as the major players have largely shunned the place due to low passenger uptake in previous attempts. Jet2 have shunned it because it’s too close to their other operating bases and offers nothing new. How would it do better under a hapless Council?
Do you know how much ILS costs to install? Do you know how much it costs to maintain? Particularly CATIII which DSA had at both ends under Peel ownership. So much for Peel wanting it to fail!
This isn’t just some minor cost, this is one of many significant costs that the council appear to be promising to shoulder to entice a budding experienced airport operator to run it for them.
I do believe it might reopen, I also believe that the Council will continue to throw money at this vanity project due to the ground swell of public opinion in Doncaster (and Doncaster alone) to say that now they are a city, well they must have an international airport.
The vast majority of airports are private ventures these days. This one failed miserably in spite of it being the most accessible (in terms of motorway access) in Yorkshire. Why did it fail? The core catchment area is tiny and it’s wider catchment area is sewn up by other airports offering more to the airlines Doncaster would need to attract to be viable.
If they can’t get easyjet (who have no base in a 70 mile radius, certainly not east of the Pennines) then there really is no hope for it. They did try twice in the airports history, pulling out both times due to poor load factors (and therefore revenue). The ‘experienced operator’ will simply back out as soon as they have to put their own money on the table. It’s not even clear who is interested or what their vision for the site might be, it could end up servicing only General Aviation.
Sorry, just how it is. Should never have been built in the first place. peel and the Government refused to heed expert advice back in 2003, there are far less possible airline options now than there were then. The ones that have emerged as the major players have largely shunned the place due to low passenger uptake in previous attempts. Jet2 have shunned it because it’s too close to their other operating bases and offers nothing new. How would it do better under a hapless Council?
Indeed, Doncaster Council are either being woefully naïve, or deliberately lying about DSA's feasibility. The Yorkshire Post reported recently that they seriously believe the airport will be open soon, and will be making a profit within 5 years even though technically they haven't even committed a single pound to actually opening it, just for legal fees for a compulsory order!!
Political leaders in South Yorkshire are confident that Doncaster Sheffield Airport will reopen.
www.yorkshirepost.co.uk
DSA could be profitable within five years of reopening and be used by 2m passengers annually within 10 years, according to a financial viability assessment conducted by consultants at EY.
The assessment also stated the airport could support 16,500 jobs and provide a £1.5bn economic boost for the local economy.
It said reopening an airport which has historically operated at a loss comes with risks and there will be some “very significant” reinstatement costs.
But it also stated that “work done to date suggests that reopening DSA is feasible and would bring significant benefits to Doncaster and the wider region”.
Its all completely dreamland stuff. The airport couldn't make a profit on close to 2m passengers when it was open, yet DCC seem to think it can turn one on less within 5 years. Someone needs to go to Doncaster City Hall and bang some heads together before they blow more money on this and end up like Birmingham & flat broke!
TUI seemed to make good use of the airport. I wonder why other operators didn't try or failed to get the numbers. I can't imagine TUI would have stayed if it hadn't been worth it.
TUI seemed to make good use of the airport. I wonder why other operators didn't try or failed to get the numbers. I can't imagine TUI would have stayed if it hadn't been worth it.
TUI we’re reasonably successful at DSA because they all but pulled out of LBA and HUY which meant any Yorkshire/Humber based passenger that wanted to use TUI would likely be sold a DSA holiday or EMA or MAN. They also fluctuated significantly since they started as the anchor tenant in 2005, with aircraft Moving in and out to other bases. Wizzair also carved out a niche but this has now gone to LBA and in my view would be unlikely to return should the airport reopen.
Where the airport struggled was with the seat only high frequency market. They could fill a couple of flights a week to Alicante but really couldn’t support daily flights to Dublin or Amsterdam, as easyjet found when they attempted an operation. That would not change with a reopened airport. New routes are extremely high risk ventures for airlines, particularly when moving into new airports, and even more so when those airports have failed to attract sufficient patronage historically.
Also this isn’t just a Yorkshire thing. Regional airports are competing against European and sometimes worldwide airports as airlines have finite (and expensive) resources and they must employ those resources wisely, otherwise they don’t tend to be airlines for very long.
TUI seemed to make good use of the airport. I wonder why other operators didn't try or failed to get the numbers. I can't imagine TUI would have stayed if it hadn't been worth it.
Again, probably simply down to it's location. Its quite a way from Yorkshire's densest population areas, with LBA and even MAN being closer or at least more convenient for many. Plus it has East Midlands and Birmingham hoovering up other denser population centres to it's south, and frankly there's not a huge market to the east. Basically it was always going to have to live off mainly South Yorkshire's demand, which just wasn't enough.
But in all honestly not being able to attract Jet2 was maybe the biggest reason, at the time DSA opened in 2005 Jet2 were just starting to really expand having opened bases at LBA & MAN, and were ultimately looking to rebase operations from Bournemouth, which they did in 2006, moving their opps to LBA. Had they moved to Doncaster who knows, maybe it would have taken over as Yorkshire's airport, or perhaps Jet2 would not have been as successful in expanding their brand? We'll never know the answer to it. But what is clear is with LBA growing, and Manchester not too far away the market for DSA was limited at best, and was always going to be a challenge. Wizz did also try, but as has been reported on other forums it seems that initial meetings with them and the LBA owners Wizz have settled in better at LBA, and are happy & not looking to move elsewhere.
Not long before the airport's final active days a couple of friends and I were walking not far away. We were impressed with the number of arrivals and departures we seemed to be seeing. As we got nearer it gradually dawned on us. It was the same aircraft doing circuits and bumps training flights.
I never used the airport but attended a big event when interested parties from around the country gathered to have explained how good it was going to be with a rail diversion from the ECML to open the airport to a much wider market. It was a big airy terminal but during the entire afternoon we only saw one plane leave. The car park was almost empty. I heard great enthusiasm and positive can do statements which seemed to be convincing quite a lot. The afternoon got some good press coverage. I left wondering what I'd missed.
I thought we should try it but never saw a flight going where we wanted to go at a time we wanted to travel. Manchester needs attention but has critical mass with many destinations served at more frequent times. EMA is our first choice if flights are available.
Now I question the economics of trying to reactivate it. The time and money being spent to justify the project could surely be better directed elsewhere. Actually running a reopened airport looks to be a financial chasm that's best avoided.
Catchment areas for airports are normally considered as 90mins by road. But your main point still stands, DSA is far less attractive from that point of view given its proximity to East Mids. LBA neatly fills the gap between Newcastle and Manchester. Its the same reason that Teeside won't see Jet2 or large numbers of other airlines.
DSA was never on their radar. They chose LBA because it was at the time the largest urban area in the country with no low-cost airline services. They also started well before DSA opened, in fact before the Public Enquiry into the plans to build an airport at Finningley!
Manchester Airport (pre MAG) had done some work in the 90’s to determine whether an airport at Finningley was viable, they determined it was not. Peel bought it and did what they do best (push their spin to the local authorities) and with the subsequent Public Enquiry finding in favour, not because there was an airport needed (it determined there actually wasn’t an airport needed, the regions incumbent airports just needed more airlines!) the enquiry found in favour of Peel/their plans for DSA purely because its investment, innit.
So, it was doomed from the start. The consolidation in the industry precipitated by the Economic Crash of 07/08 saw to it that even fewer airlines would be operating in the U.K. regions, and that those with high volume bases in the regions would themselves consolidate growth around several major city regions leaving the smaller airports wanting.
No way will a reopened airport be profitable in 5, 10 or 50 years if it cannot attain the states critical mass (2.5mppa) if it is to be an airport handling any passenger flights whatsoever. The only viable way to break even on much lower passenger throughput is to restrict the airport operating hours (a deterrent to based operators) and/or restrict the size of aircraft it hopes to handle, alongside not having such fantastic navigation aids as the previous incarnation had.
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
Not sure of the circumstances as they will obviously be commercially confidential, but Peel/DSAL were offering attractive subsidies to airlines to come in and stay there. Some things gleaned through various means (but may not be 100% accurate):
- FlyBe apparently in talks with both LBA and DSA as part of ‘project blackbird’ over the use of their E170/190 jets that didn’t fit in to their core business. They ended up basing two at DSA and two at CWL which were subsidised by DSA to the tune of a reported £1million per year. They withdrew all services when the aircraft were returned, did intend on retaining the DUB and AMS services using the Dash8 aircraft but low forward bookings saw those pulled before they ever started.
-Wizzair (Hungary) had been exceptionally loyal to DSA and grew organically with the niche they found servicing the Eastern European migrant workforce and Visiting Friends and Relatives implication of that market. However, when DSA closed there was a bidding war between LBA and Teesside. They had apparently approached Humberside but that airport wasn’t interested in taking it on. Teesside supposedly offered to subsidise the routes, but in the end they went to LBA where they are reportedly paying more than they did at DSA, but are happy with their performance at LBA and would be unlikely to return to DSA in a scenario that sees it reopen. Source is via the LBA consultative committee and was stated by an airport representative and not Wizzair, however I would expect Wizzair to have agreed a long term contract with LBA.
-Wizzair (UK), believed to be the reason DSA finally closed. They announced a base at DSA to serve the popular European sun routes and a couple of outliers like Eindhoven. The agreement was to have 3 aircraft based at DSA and in return they would receive rebates on fees. Forward bookings were poor, and Wizz decided to reduce the number of planned based aircraft to 1 which would invalidate their agreement. They then pulled out completely.
-Easyjet had started a GVA route in the early days which lasted one season before being dropped. They then returned in 2010 basing one aircraft on an outstationed basis using crew from Liverpool. The load factors across the DSA operation were below what is considered to be profitable by easyjet so they announced the base closure after just 5 months of operation.
-Ryanair started a daily Dublin on their old 100 seat B737-200 aircraft, this was lost I believe when those aircraft were retired. They returned a couple of times offering a couple of weekly flights to places like Alicante but they never stuck. Meanwhile they opened a base at LBA and grew significantly at EMA and MAN.
There were others, Aer Lingus (operated by Stobart and Aer Lingus Regional) offering connectivity, with both attempts seeing very poor uptake and not lasting very long. FlyGlobespan did a weekly (ISTR) flight to Toronto Hamilton which again failed to attract support and was pulled after a very short space of time.
Shaheen air expressed an intention to start a flight to Pakistan but this was poached by LBA before it even got off the ground, and ended up being operated by PIA for quite some time before this was pulled.
Freight wise, whilst it did attract some ad/JOC freight traffic, it was competing directly with the U.K.s largest pure freight airport just down the road at EMA which is a hub for all major players. There simply was not a market for freight integrator facilities at DSA.
Other aviation business on site came and went, they eventually attracted 2Excel (who still have a large office function there), the fixed wing arm of the Police Air Service and u-turned on their anti/GA agenda by allowing a couple of flight schools to operate from there. There was a Cessna maintenance operation but that was quietly dropped. Also the BAe systems academy was short lived and they ended up moving into a purpose built facility at Humberside.
So with all this in mind, is this a good investment? It’s a proven failed business with very little prospect of growth, yet the Council and South Yorkshire Combined Authority appear to be hell bent on getting this place reopened and have a clear mandate to do so, claiming favourable viability studies confirming their belief. It’s a road to disaster in my view and unclear at this time as to ultimately who will be picking up the bill when it all goes wrong again.
Catchment areas for airports are normally considered as 90mins by road. But your main point still stands, DSA is far less attractive from that point of view given its proximity to East Mids. LBA neatly fills the gap between Newcastle and Manchester. Its the same reason that Teeside won't see Jet2 or large numbers of other airlines.
Meanwhile those of us on the east Coast have to endure the journey of hell to Manchester or the back roads, potholes, and dark lanes to get to the top of the windy Hill known as LBA.
Meanwhile those of us on the east Coast have to endure the journey of hell to Manchester or the back roads, potholes, and dark lanes to get to the top of the windy Hill known as LBA.
Meanwhile those of us on the east Coast have to endure the journey of hell to Manchester or the back roads, potholes, and dark lanes to get to the top of the windy Hill known as LBA.
That's mostly down to Leeds City Council, who have the polar opposite feelings about their local airport as Doncaster CC do despite being the same party. They've done nothing but drag their feet about improving access, allowing expansion or rebuilding LBA's terminal, often siding with people opposing anything to improve the experience at or getting to the airport.
Unfortunately there just wasn't the demand to give you a closer option.
That's mostly down to Leeds City Council, who have the polar opposite feelings about their local airport as Doncaster CC do despite being the same party. They've done nothing but drag their feet about improving access, allowing expansion or rebuilding LBA's terminal, often siding with people opposing anything to improve the experience at or getting to the airport.
It’s a Yorkshire wide thing this anti-LBA stance. I crossed words with a politician local to me some time ago as he was dead against the new relief road plans for LBA stating that DSA had a much better prospect as Yorkshires airport. And this is the problem!! The market dictates growth and it is their job to facilitate. It most certainly is not within their power to manipulate the market to the extent that would make DSA a viable solution. Leeds Bradford is a horrid experience in a location only really accessible for those in Leeds, Bradford and Harrogate. Yet that is by far the largest market in Yorkshire, so providing better infrastructure and improved access for those of us in the areas that have a battle trying to get to it should be the focus, not hanging hats on a certified white elephant. All this political fiddling and fighting against the growth centre just means that more people are forced to travel to airports outside of the region for their flights. We also have a viable airport at Humberside that has been allowed to stagnate due to increased competition at DSA holding it back, and it is now in the wrong hands with very little incentive to grow. It’s a sorry state of affairs.
It’s a Yorkshire wide thing this anti-LBA stance. I crossed words with a politician local to me some time ago as he was dead against the new relief road plans for LBA stating that DSA had a much better prospect as Yorkshires airport. And this is the problem!! The market dictates growth and it is their job to facilitate. It most certainly is not within their power to manipulate the market to the extent that would make DSA a viable solution. Leeds Bradford is a horrid experience in a location only really accessible for those in Leeds, Bradford and Harrogate. Yet that is by far the largest market in Yorkshire, so providing better infrastructure and improved access for those of us in the areas that have a battle trying to get to it should be the focus, not hanging hats on a certified white elephant. All this political fiddling and fighting against the growth centre just means that more people are forced to travel to airports outside of the region for their flights. We also have a viable airport at Humberside that has been allowed to stagnate due to increased competition at DSA holding it back, and it is now in the wrong hands with very little incentive to grow. It’s a sorry state of affairs.
As you say quite a few politicians in the region have thrown their caps into the DSA support pool, without ever really understanding quite why it just wasn't working as an airport. And there are some representing some constituencies under the LBA flight paths that still hanker for a move to DSA so that planes don't fly over the houses of their voters, regardless of the fact that a) DSA isn't going to re-open and b) It would mean the loss of thousands of jobs in their area! Such is the disconnect between local councillors and reality.
Getting better road access to LBA from Leeds, Bradford & the M1/M62 should be really high up the list of priorities of Leeds City Council, yet plans have been drafted, shelved, and torn up for over a decade. Yet the same council wants to develop more business and industry in North West Leeds, which will need (survey says) better road access!! You honestly couldn't make it up!! And I had to laugh just yesterday on my train home. There were a group of Labour activists on their way home from their conference, talking loudly and at length about the Tory NIMBYs in the Shipley Ward (which happens to be mine), obviously with reference to Starmer's plans to build 1.5 million new homes. Yet the very same party over the border in Leeds have been doing nothing else but pandering to NIMBYs. And people wonder why I'm so cynical!!
Unfortunately there just wasn't the demand to give you a closer option.
That's mostly down to Leeds City Council, who have the polar opposite feelings about their local airport as Doncaster CC do despite being the same party. They've done nothing but drag their feet about improving access, allowing expansion or rebuilding LBA's terminal, often siding with people opposing anything to improve the experience at or getting to the airport.
It’s a Yorkshire wide thing this anti-LBA stance. I crossed words with a politician local to me some time ago as he was dead against the new relief road plans for LBA stating that DSA had a much better prospect as Yorkshires airport. And this is the problem!! The market dictates growth and it is their job to facilitate. It most certainly is not within their power to manipulate the market to the extent that would make DSA a viable solution. Leeds Bradford is a horrid experience in a location only really accessible for those in Leeds, Bradford and Harrogate. Yet that is by far the largest market in Yorkshire, so providing better infrastructure and improved access for those of us in the areas that have a battle trying to get to it should be the focus, not hanging hats on a certified white elephant. All this political fiddling and fighting against the growth centre just means that more people are forced to travel to airports outside of the region for their flights. We also have a viable airport at Humberside that has been allowed to stagnate due to increased competition at DSA holding it back, and it is now in the wrong hands with very little incentive to grow. It’s a sorry state of affairs.
Yorkshire does seem to have huge problems with local political infighting. The "One Yorkshire" Combined Authority might have gone some way to improving that and will hopefully be resurrected under a Labour government.
Its very obvious there is only sufficient market for one passenger centric airport in Yorkshire and due to size and location that is going to be LBA. Local politicians in other areas should be working on improving transport links to it.
Yorkshire does seem to have huge problems with local political infighting. The "One Yorkshire" Combined Authority might have gone some way to improving that and will hopefully be resurrected under a Labour government.
Its very obvious there is only sufficient market for one passenger centric airport in Yorkshire and due to size and location that is going to be LBA. Local politicians in other areas should be working on improving transport links to it.
Expecting widely spread parts of Yorkshire to work together? Check maps.
In the north Teesside and Newcastle are possibly more convenient than LBA. In the south East Midlands and Manchester have the edge. Hunberside hasn't many flights but should pick up business from the East Riding before LBA. For those wanting better public transport links access to John Lennon Liverpool Airport is better for many via Liverpool South Parkway and conecting bus.
Unfortunately there just wasn't the demand to give you a closer option.
That's mostly down to Leeds City Council, who have the polar opposite feelings about their local airport as Doncaster CC do despite being the same party. They've done nothing but drag their feet about improving access, allowing expansion or rebuilding LBA's terminal, often siding with people opposing anything to improve the experience at or getting to the airport.
Leeds Council approved the application for a brand new terminal at the end of runway 14 which looked the part and would have meant a far better experience. It was submitted to enable the airport to handle the anticipated increase in passengers, which is a UK Government figure.
The decision was subsequently called in by the Government and LBA quite rightly IMHO didn't want to spend years and potentially millions on an appeal and inquiry, especially as they had an extant permission they could begin work on, which will begin shortly.
None of the options for local highway improvements really stacked up and in reality whilst it isn't on a motorway junction, access isn't as bad as people make out. The new east Leeds relief road has made access from the M1 far easier than previously, but I'm not sure its existence is fully recognised by travellers.
Some background info for those interested, Farrans Construction are building the extension
Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) in the UK has announced over a £100m investment into a vital regeneration of its terminal facilities which will dramatically improve the passenger experience and help unlock economic growth for the region.
Approved by Leeds City Council, the work is set to commence in autumn 2023 and is expected to complete in 2026. Farrans Construction has been appointed as the contractor to deliver Phase 1 of the project, the construction of the terminal extension.
The regeneration will see a 9,500sqm, three-storey extension to the existing terminal, alongside a significant refurbishment of the current terminal building.
Passengers will benefit from the creation of additional aircraft stands, more seating, faster security, new shops and eateries, and a larger baggage reclaim area and immigration hall, as well as improved access for passengers with restricted mobility.
By 2030, the regeneration has the potential to create 1,500 new direct jobs at LBA and 4,000 new indirect jobs, as well as contribute a total of £940 million to the local economy.
The regeneration will also help LBA to further decarbonise its operations, as outlined in the airport’s 2030 Net Zero Carbon Roadmap, with the installation of new heating, lighting and machinery, including new baggage belts.
Getting better road access to LBA from Leeds, Bradford & the M1/M62 should be really high up the list of priorities of Leeds City Council, yet plans have been drafted, shelved, and torn up for over a decade
None of the road options really made any sense. They still don’t. A lot of destruction through a heavily populated area for precious little benefit.
LBA isn’t that hard to get to, its catchment area really always has only been the north of the county. From where my folks live in the hills above Bradford/Halifax we can drive to both Manchester and Liverpool within 90 minutes.
None of the road options really made any sense. They still don’t. A lot of destruction through a heavily populated area for precious little benefit.
LBA isn’t that hard to get to, its catchment area really always has only been the north of the county. From where my folks live in the hills above Bradford/Halifax we can drive to both Manchester and Liverpool within 90 minutes.
If by a minor miracle, Leeds get the metro system promised as a consolidation prize for HS2 cancellation, then there should be decent public transport options. Tram train's could handle the gradient.
If by a minor miracle, Leeds get the metro system promised as a consolidation prize for HS2 cancellation, then there should be decent public transport options. Tram train's could handle the gradient.
Yes, a tram link to the airport should be the first one for trams leaving Leeds. As regards road transport, I disagree with the above, from the east and North East it is abysmal. A64 onwards a choice of 3 very bad routes.
1. Tadcaster then many miles of narrow roads and villages.
2. A1 to Wetherby, then same poor roads as no. 1.
3. A64 to Seacroft, with crap 40/50mph roads from Bramham to Seacroft, then many lights and traffic around ring road to the north.
Leeds Council approved the application for a brand new terminal at the end of runway 14 which looked the part and would have meant a far better experience. It was submitted to enable the airport to handle the anticipated increase in passengers, which is a UK Government figure.
The decision was subsequently called in by the Government and LBA quite rightly IMHO didn't want to spend years and potentially millions on an appeal and inquiry, especially as they had an extant permission they could begin work on, which will begin shortly.
None of the options for local highway improvements really stacked up and in reality whilst it isn't on a motorway junction, access isn't as bad as people make out. The new east Leeds relief road has made access from the M1 far easier than previously, but I'm not sure its existence is fully recognised by travellers.
Part of the reason that the new terminal plan was dropped by LBA was LCC's leaning towards a local protest group, and the fact that going to the SoS meant a long delay which would impact on any hopes to grow traffic. So that was ditched in favour of the 2019 approved expansion. Ironically the new terminal was to be a lot more energy efficient than the extended version, and would have been considerably closer to the rail alignment and proposed parkway station, which might have made the latter a little more viable.
None of the road options really made any sense. They still don’t. A lot of destruction through a heavily populated area for precious little benefit.
LBA isn’t that hard to get to, its catchment area really always has only been the north of the county. From where my folks live in the hills above Bradford/Halifax we can drive to both Manchester and Liverpool within 90 minutes.
The thing is that LCC still have ambitions to develop more business in the north west of Leeds, including around the airport. So it may start to make more sense after all to consider one of the two new link roads after all if they want to pursue that. And if I were on the board at LBA, I'd probably be re-floating the idea to local politicians especially if any of the new business involves a lot of HGV traffic.
Nothing wrong with some of the routes in that way, a much nicer run in than coming through the populated areas around Leeds and Bradford. Try ploughing your way through the likes of Shipley and Guiseley when its busy towards the airport, then you'd definitely have something to complain about!
Yes, a tram link to the airport should be the first one for trams leaving Leeds. As regards road transport, I disagree with the above, from the east and North East it is abysmal. A64 onwards a choice of 3 very bad routes.
1. Tadcaster then many miles of narrow roads and villages.
2. A1 to Wetherby, then same poor roads as no. 1.
3. A64 to Seacroft, with crap 40/50mph roads from Bramham to Seacroft, then many lights and traffic around ring road to the north.
It's easy to access from Harrogate and the roads round it to the east (and therefore the A1) and the roads are all standard A roads, not narrow at all. Even from York it's a simple route, taking 45mins or so from the ring road, up to about 55mins in rush hour. I used to regularly commute from York to north Bradford and drove past the airport every day.
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