But Hull has its own, albeit lightly used airport as does South Yorkshire. So moving LBA to a new location to serve these areas isn't as compelling as it might seem. And moving towards the motorway links might have its merits, but it also has its pitfalls. Moving it to Stourton as suggested earlier would be difficult, as a decent sized runway would be hard to fit in to the area & of course depending on the alignment of the runway, might mean that flights would have to fly even lower across central Leeds than they currently do. There would be a huge amount of objections from residents. And building it further to the east along the M62 or M1/A1 link would provide the space & the distance from built up areas, but would add additional strain on the road network. The junctions around Leeds can easily clog up without the help from additional airport-bound traffic. And with better motorway links, more people will drive there regardless of any rail links provided. Plus you would be building in an area that suffers badly with drainage problems which would make building and operating such a site tricky.
Then of course there's the cost. I imagine that a brand new build would cost way in excess of a rail link to LBA's current position, and as I've said above might actually still add to the region's congestion issues. I'm the first to admit that LBA's position isn't the best (and landing there can be, well a bit hairy to say the least), but it's there & it would be far more beneficial to the area to improve it's links to the rest of the area rather than packing it off to the middle of nowhere.
I wouldn't say its the middle of nowhere. It's central to the a Yorkshire and Humber region. Obviously pretty much any location is going to have its pitfalls as well as benefits but in my opinion, an airport that can be easily accessed via the motorway network instead of single carriageway roads through a city's suburbs is much better. Along with the rail links - the lines in this area are better to provide connections to the regions' other town and cities instead of a connection to a single Leeds commuter line.
Providing an airport in this area with world class transport options would likely mean that the majority of journeys to the airport are possible using public transport. This would reduce the strain on the motorways - but they are still vital for the airports accessibility. But obviously changes to the local road infrastructure would be needed anyway. I'm not saying there isn't going to be any increased because of course there is.
These are just ideas and unlikely to come to fruition but in my opinion this area is best placed to serve the Yorkshire region than LBA currently does - even with an added rail link.
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Nor does everyone live in East Yorkshire. Hull and Sheffield already have their own local airports so why should an existing facility be moved to benefit residents of those places to the detriment of the areas that are currently served. Might as well close the airport completely and send everyone to Manchester - a nice easy run along the motorway.
Sticking an airport next to a motorway is not an instant solution to accessibility. Look at my 'local' airport, Luton, bang next to the M1 and ostensibly only 20 minutes drive from my front door along a 3 lane straightish super highway - should be no winding back lanes to contend with. But the M1 in this area being what it is you still have to make a huge allowance for delays if driving and often end up on winding back lanes anyway.
To provide the most efficient operation it would be best if Humberside/Doncaster airports closed if a new airport were to be built in this location. This airport could serve the Yorkshire and Humber region and would be located in a central area but still close to the populous areas of West Yorkshire.
I'm not saying that sticking an airport next to a motorway is an instant solution to accessibility but it's a whole lot better than what LBA currently faces. While it may be handy for people in the northern suburbs of Leeds and Bradford, it is a pain to get to from the rest of the region (including other parts of a Leeds and Bradford.
But like I've said, it's not all about the motorway access, this location is served by the nearby rail lines that quickly link it with Leeds and Bradford as well as to York/Scarborough/Newcastle/Doncaster/Hull/Sheffield/Huddersfield/Halifax and a whole lot more places. Access to HS2 is also a bonus - which LBA pretty much has no chance of.
