History of Leeds Bradford Airport

Leeds Bradford Airport was originally known as Yeadon Aerodrome and owned by the local council, which it purchased in 1930 and was opened in 1931 when it operated club training and flying for private individuals. Four years later scheduled flights began on a commercial scale with destinations such as Blackpool, The Isle of Man and Newcastle.

The RAF formed its 609 squadron at Yeadon in 1936 whilst construction began on a terminal building that was only partially finished. Upon the break-out of World War Two in 1939 all commercial civilian flights were ceased, and the nearby Avro factory was commissioned for the production of military aircraft that were operated from the airfield. Due to the extensive flights operating from the airfield during the war it became necessary for two new runways to be constructed as well as hangars and taxiways. The airfield subsequently became very important for post-war aircraft testing and development.

In 1947 commercial flights were restored and in 1953 Yeadon Ltd. was formed which ran the airport. In addition to this many new destinations were added to the airports portfolio including Southend, Isle of Wight, Jersey and Belfast plus several more. In 1960 an important link was established, that of London.

In 1965 the airport added a new runway, however the progress with the development of the airport was halted due to the terminal building being destroyed by a fire. By 1968 however, the airport had constructed a new terminal and it was able to function properly again.

In the 1970's the package holiday flights began from Leeds Bradford Airport and by 1978 it was decided that due to an increase in air traffic as a result of the package holiday boom runway extensions were to be constructed. It was also recognised that by doing this the airport could be designated as regional. In 1982 the work began on the runway extensions with road and terminal work also taking place. All work was completed in 1985 boosting the airports capacity considerably.

In 1986 Leeds Bradford Airport received Concorde on its first flight to the airport. The event drew considerable media attention and around 60,000 people watched the landing from various viewpoints around the Leeds Bradford Airport.

In 1996 it was announced that the terminal building would undergo significant development which is still to this day ongoing.