Leeds Bradford Airport

About Leeds Bradford Airport

Leeds Bradford Airport is the main airport for West Yorkshire. It is at Yeadon, about 7 miles (11 km) north-west of Leeds city centre, and also serves Bradford, Harrogate and the surrounding area. The airfield stands on high ground, 208 metres (681 feet) above sea level. According to UK Civil Aviation Authority figures, the airport handled 4,447,024 terminal passengers in 2025, around 4.4 million, an increase of just over 5% on 2024.

Leeds Bradford Airport Limited runs the airport. In May 2026 the Spanish airport group Aena completed its purchase of 51% of the holding company that owns the airport. InfraBridge holds the other 49%, and the same holding company also owns a 49% stake in Newcastle International Airport.

The airport has one terminal and a single concrete runway, 2,250 metres long, and the A658 road runs underneath it in a tunnel. A £100 million redevelopment programme called LBA:REGEN is extending and modernising the terminal.

How to get to Leeds Bradford Airport

By bus

The Flyer network, run by Transdev, provides the main public transport links. Buses run every day, including weekends and bank holidays:

• Flyer A1: Leeds City Bus Station to the airport via Kirkstall and Horsforth, about every 30 minutes.
• Flyer A2: Bradford Interchange to the airport, continuing to Harrogate, about hourly.
• Flyer A3: Bradford Interchange to the airport via Shipley and Guiseley, continuing to Otley, about hourly.

The A2 and A3 together give two buses an hour between Bradford and the airport. Timetables and tickets are available from Transdev.

By train

There is no railway station at the airport. The Flyer buses link it with Leeds station and Bradford Interchange, and combined rail and bus tickets are available. Northern trains on the Leeds to Harrogate and Leeds to Ilkley lines also serve the surrounding area.

By road

The postcode for sat nav is LS19 7TU. The airport can be reached from the M1, M62 and A1 by local roads, and the on-site car parks are entered from Whitehouse Lane. Official parking includes short stay and meet and greet, and there is a pick-up and drop-off area a short walk from the terminal. Arrow Cars is the airport's official taxi partner, and Avis and Enterprise have car hire desks on site.

Terminal and facilities

The first phase of LBA:REGEN, a terminal extension, opened on 17 June 2025. It added a new baggage reclaim hall, upgraded passport control, more seating with views of the runway and a wider choice of food and drink. Passengers can use two premium lounges, one of which is the Six Eight One Premium Lounge.

The second phase, a refurbishment of the original terminal building, is due to finish by the end of 2026. Until then some areas may have temporary hoardings and changed layouts. When the whole project is complete, the airport expects about 38% more floor space, 50% more security lanes and 83% more seating than before. Assisted travel support is available for passengers who need help.

Airlines and destinations

Most flights from Leeds Bradford are short-haul. The network covers beach resorts around the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands, city breaks across Europe, and routes to North Africa and Turkey.

Jet2 is the largest airline at the airport and is running its biggest ever programme from Leeds Bradford, with more than 60 destinations on sale. Ryanair has aircraft based at the airport too, and flew 25 routes in summer 2026, including new services to Agadir and Warsaw. The airport also lists KLM, Aer Lingus, TUI, Wizz Air, SunExpress and Aurigny among its airlines. easyJet is leaving Leeds Bradford: its Málaga and Palma flights end in November 2026 and its final flights, to Paris, Barcelona and Belfast, run in early January 2027.

History

The airfield opened on 17 October 1931 as Leeds and Bradford Municipal Aerodrome, also known as Yeadon Aerodrome. During the Second World War an Avro shadow factory beside the airfield built thousands of military aircraft. A new runway opened in 1965, and a new terminal was completed in 1968 after fire destroyed the original building. A runway extension opened in November 1984.

The local councils that owned the airport sold it to Bridgepoint Capital in 2007, and Bridgepoint sold it to AMP Capital in 2017. The terminal extension opened in 2025, and in May 2026 Aena became the majority owner through its 51% stake in the holding company.