Leeds Bradford Airport History

Leeds Bradford Airport:

• One terminal

• One runway

• Flys to more than 75 destinations

• 4 million passengers a year

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• Leeds Bradford; a look at the last 85 years

• 1930s - 1940s

• Leeds Bradford was initially known as Yeadon Airport when it commenced club flights and training in 1931. Four years later, the first scheduled flights began to Newcastle, Edinburgh, Blackpool and the Isle of Man.

• Work on the terminal building started in 1936, although only one wing was completed. At the same time, 609 Squadron of the RAF formed at Yeadon and seasonal flights between Yeadon, Isle of Man and Liverpool also started.

• Significant developments were made to the aerodrome, including the construction of 2 runways, a taxiway and a hangarage which made Yeadon an important military aircraft testing site. Civil flights didn't re-commence after WW11 until 1947.

• Leeds Bradford was initially known as Yeadon Airport when it commenced club flights and training in 1931. Four years later, the first scheduled flights began to Newcastle, Edinburgh, Blackpool and the Isle of Man.

• Work on the terminal building started in 1936, although only one wing was completed. At the same time, 609 Squadron of the RAF formed at Yeadon and seasonal flights between Yeadon, Isle of Man and Liverpool also started.

• Significant developments were made to the aerodrome, including the construction of 2 runways, a taxiway and a hangarage which made Yeadon an important military aircraft testing site. Civil flights didn't re-commence after WW11 until 1947.

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• 1950s-1990s

• In 1953 Yeadon Aviation Ltd was formed. Two years later Belfast, Jersey, Ostend, Southend, IOW and Dusseldorf were added to Yeadon's destination list.

• Scheduled flights to London began in 1960, and Dublin was added shortly after.

• A new runway was opened in 1965, and the terminal building was sadly destroyed by fire. A replacement terminal was opened by 1968.

• In 1976 the first tour holiday flight to the Iberian Peninsula flew out of Leeds Bradford.

• Two years later, it was decided that with runway extensions the airport's status could be upgraded to a regional airport. Work was begun in 1982 and construction was complete within two years. The airport also underwent significant terminal extensions and redevelopments. The first phase of these developments was opened in 1985.

• The airport became a limited company in 1987, and was shared between the five surrounding boroughs. Although initially the airport had restrictions on its operating hours, these were removed in 1994, meaning that flights could depart from and fly into Leeds Bradford at any time of day or night.

• Work on the airport terminal has been ongoing since 1996, and the result of this has been significant growths in the terminal size and passenger facilities.

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• 2000 - 2022

• For 13 years, the airport was home to Yorkshire Air Ambulance until it moved to Nostell in November 2013.

• The original runway was closed in 2003 to make way for an additional taxiway due to the ever increasing passenger numbers.

• In 2014, the airport was crowned Best UK Airport by the Travel Weekly Globe Awards

• Leeds Bradford Airport have released details of their Strategic Development Plan: Route to 2030. They predict over the next 14 years that the airport will have a number of additional features, including a two storey extension to the terminal building, improved road and rail access and an onsite hotel - watch this space!

• In December 2018, a three-storey extension was approved. This will include redevelopment of the immigration, baggage reclaim and customs. The construction for this development began in early 2019!

• The airport was given the green light for a brand new terminal in Feburary 2021, with the aim to increase passenger numbers. However, there have been some objections which has put the contstrcions to halt for now.

• Airport Noise

• The 2013-2018 Noise Action Plan is currently being implemented at Leeds Bradford Airport, after updating the 2011 version following a consultation period with local residents. Noise Preferential Routes are in operation and only the quietest jets are permitted to fly between 11pm and 7am daily.

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• Leeds Blitz

• The Leeds Blitz comprised nine air raids on the city of Leeds by the Nazi German Luftwaffe. The heaviest raid took place on the night of 14/15 March 1941, affecting the city centre, Beeston,[1] Bramley[2] and Armley.[1][3] The city was subjected to other raids during the Second World War, but they were relatively minor; only the March 1941 raid caused widespread damage, including to the city's museum and its artefacts.

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• Leeds is a large city in the industrial heartland of the West Riding of Yorkshire. The county's largest city, much of the region's economic, administrative and industrial activities were centred on Leeds which was also an important rail hub. Many industrial manufacturers around the city such as Avro at RAF Yeadon (now Leeds Bradford Airport) which produced Lancaster bombers,[4] Kirkstall Forge,[5] Barnbow munitions works[6] and ROF Thorp Arch near Wetherby[7] adapted their output for war work providing likely raid targets. Leeds had taken precautions, including building many public air raid shelters and large water tanks to be used for fire-fighting in the event of incendiary devices being dropped.[8]

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• Beginning just after 9 pm on Friday 14 March 1941, around 40 bombers took part in the raid on Leeds; in all 451 were over Britain that night.[9] Incendiary bombs were first dropped onto the city on the Friday night, later high explosive bombs were dropped on the Saturday.[10][11][12] Targets hit in the city centre included the Town Hall, the city's museum (then on Park Row), Leeds New station (now Leeds City station), the Kirkgate Markets, the Central Post Office, the Quarry Hill flats, the Hotel Metropole and the area now occupied by the Inner Ring Road.[13] Around 100 houses were destroyed, 4,600 sustained damage, and around 65 people were killed.[14][15]

• Other nearby towns were also damaged in this raid. Huddersfield was damaged by bombers seeking the David Brown factory at Crosland Moor (at the time making parts for the Supermarine Spitfire), while central Castleford was also damaged by bombers seeking the Hickson and Welch chemical works and Ferrybridge power station.[16] In total 25 tons of bombs fell on Leeds during the raid, a quarter of the 100 tons often used as the threshold for a "major raid".[11][17] By comparison, that night in Glasgow 203 aircraft dropped 231 tons of high explosives, nearly ten times the amount dropped on Leeds, and 1,650 incendiary canisters, while in nearby Sheffield 117 aircraft dropped 83 tons of high explosives and 328 incendiary canisters.[18]

• Owing to the censorship and secrecy during the war, the press did not mention Leeds by name after the raid, instead referring to it as a "North East Inland Town"; the frequent raids on Hull were often referred to as a raid on a "North East Coastal Town".[19] German sources from the time claim raids on Glasgow, Leeds, Sheffield, Tilbury Docks, Plymouth and Southampton.[20]

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• The bombing of the Leeds City Museum resulted in the losses of historic civic possessions[21] including the destruction of a mummy and a taxidermed tiger. Curator Herbert Ricketts described salvaging artefacts after the bombing as having "a dig in our own museum".[22][23] The museum's front, dating from 1821, was also damaged and had to be taken down.[24][25] A concrete front was built replacing the destroyed Victorian facade. The museum closed in 1965 and was moved to the central library on the Headrow. The museum was demolished in 1966 and the site is now occupied by the HSBC bank.[26] In 1999, the museum was moved from the library, and is now housed in the former Mechanics Institute on Millennium Square.

• Other historic buildings were superficially damaged. At certain sites, such as the town hall, shrapnel damage is still evident.[27]

• Fighter and ground defence

• 31st (North Midland) Anti-Aircraft Brigade was responsible for anti-aircraft defence of West Yorkshire,[28] and throughout the war years Leeds had anti-aircraft guns positioned throughout the city.[29] There were many RAF airfields to the east of the city in the Vale of York, while most were home to bomber command units, RAF Church Fenton was the base of a fighter squadron.[30][31] On the night of the main Leeds raid Junkers Ju 88 and Dornier Do 17 aircraft were shot down over Northern England, indicating these could have been the bombers used over Leeds.[32]

• Unexploded bombs

• Following the raids, unexploded bombs have been found in the city[33] including one in Potternewton Park in 2012.[34] Unexploded anti-aircraft shells have also been found to the south and east of the city.[35] Starting in September 1940, all unexploded bombs were to be logged in a detailed 'bomb diary', although the scheme was not at first initiated in Leeds.[36]

• Tempest Road, where Harrison was sheltering during the raid

• Cultural influences

• The Tony Harrison poem "Shrapnel" relates to the raid on Beeston and the possibility of an act of heroism on the part of the bomber crews given the number of bombs falling on Cross Flats Park in Beeston as well as comparing the bombing to the bombings of 7 July in London, of which two of the perpetrators came from Leeds.[37][38] Harrison, at the time a child, was sheltering in the cellar of a house on Tempest Road in Beeston.[

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