Leeds Bradford Airport Unveils Terminal Development Proposals

4.11.2008 (Leeds Bradford Airport press release)
 

Leeds Bradford International Airport (LBIA) has today unveiled a £28m development
of its passenger terminal to deliver a step change in the passenger experience
at Yorkshire’s gateway as the airport prepares for the next decade of air travel.

The airport has been working with a team of industry leading consultants to deliver
significant improvements to the terminal building which presently suffers from
congestion, insufficient circulation space and is poorly designed for segregating
arriving and departing passengers. LBIA is now pleased to be able to share the
proposed extension plans with its customers and neighbours during November with
a series of exhibitions taking place in the local area and at the airport.

LBIA’s terminal development proposals reveal a two storey extension to the landside
face of the existing terminal, together with important internal modifications
to the current building.

Plans include additional space to improve the layout and circulation in the concourse
and at check-in, a new and expanded passenger security screening zone, a new departure
lounge with a central seating area benefitting from natural light created by a
glazed roof, improvements to the domestic baggage reclaim hall and a remodelling
of the airside immigration facilities.

This major investment by the airport’s shareholders, Bridgepoint, follows their
purchase of the airport in May 2007, and delivers their commitment to create ‘best
in class’ facilities at Leeds Bradford.   Over the next five years some £70m will
be invested to enhance and deliver an international airport in which the region
can take pride.

John Parkin, Leeds Bradford International Airport’s Chief Executive said: ‘Our
exciting plans to improve the terminal building will transform LBIA. We will be
creating modern, spacious and service focused facilities designed to make the
airport easy and convenient to use. The terminal proposals will also deliver impressive
new facilities which will integrate with the existing building sympathetically
in scale and design."

"We are passionate in our determination to deliver a passenger experience for
the next decade that offers the very best in airport design and service standards
for the people of our region. We will value and look forward to hearing their
comments on our proposals as we prepare our planning application."

Further details are also available on this website, click on ‘Building a better airport for you’.    

ENDS

The public exhibitions will run from 04 – 07 November as follows:

St Margaret’s Church Hall, Horsforth

Tuesday 04 November 16:30-20:00

Yeadon Town Hall

Wednesday 05 November 16:00-19:00

Morrisons, High Street, Yeadon

Thursday 06 November 16:30-20:00

Morrisons, High Street, Yeadon

Friday 07 November 16:30-20:00

There will also be information available regarding the proposed terminal development
in both landside and airside locations at Leeds Bradford International Airport
between 04 – 07 November.

For enquiries regarding this story please contact:

Sam Wynzar – Communications Officer

Leeds Bradford International Airport

Tel: (0113) 391 3333

http://www.lbia.co.uk/newsandupdates-newsstory.php?storyid=20081104
see also
 
Yorkshire Evening Post       4.11.2008
by Nigel Scott

£28m airport plan ready for take-off

PLANS for a £28m redevelopment of the main terminal building at Leeds Bradford
International Airport – which could create up to 2,000 new jobs – were unveiled
today.


Airport bosses will submit a planning application for the scheme – part of a
wider five- year £70m investment plan – at the end of this month.

The airport’s chief executive, John Parkin, said the announcement confirmed private
equity firm Bridgepoint’s commitment when it bought the formerly local authority-owned
business in May 2007.

The work would go ahead “notwithstanding the current economic situation globally”.

Mr Parkin said: “We are publishing our plans. We are going out to consultation.
We are asking the public for their views. This is part of a process which leads
up to a planning application by the end of this month and a potential determination,
subject to planning, in March/April next year.”

The terminal redevelopment will take about a year to complete and bosses are
confident the work can be carried out by May 2010 without disrupting day-to-day
business.

Mr Parkin added: “Roughly speaking the current terminal is crescent shaped. By
the time we have finished developing it, it will be semi-circular. We are filling
in the front.”

The new build extension will be on two floors: check-in/security will be on the
ground floor, with security moved to the centre of the building. This area will
be significantly larger than at present and will include a fast-track facility
for business customers. Once through security, customers will move to a first
floor departure lounge, larger than the current facility, which will have natural
light through a large atrium-type roof.

Mr Parkin said as well as explaining to people what the development plan was,
it was also important to emphasise what it was not.

“We do not require an extension to the runway. Not now and not in the future.
We do not plan any significant increase in night flying which, we know, is of
concern locally and there is no need for any increase in off-airport car parks.”

Regarding job prospects, he said: “The airport already employs 2,200 people on
site, directly and indirectly, and we expect that to grow significantly as we
build the business.The rule of thumb, roughly, is that for every million passengers
of throughput it’s roughly 1,000 jobs.

“We have 2.9m passengers going through the airport terminal at the moment and
the plan is to take that to in excess of five million by 2013.

“That means new routes and services.”