Leeds Bradford Airport CEO apologises after more than 700 extra night flights "accidentally" operated

Leeds Bradford Airport have been found in breach of the planning condition that restricts night-time movements, exceeding the number of permitted night-time movements by 25% during the 2022 summer season according to Leeds Council.

The council received a complaint in October 2022 which was investigated .

The investigation received full co-operation from Leeds Bradford Airport.

It was concluded that during the 2022 summer season there were 3667 night-time movements, exceeding the cap imposed by 747.

A breach of condition notice has therefore been served by the council which Leeds Bradford Airport has accepted.

As part of this notice the airport have accepted the requirement to adhere to the limits set out in their 2007 planning consent and failure to do so would be a criminal offence according to the council.

In a statement sent to The Yorkshire Post, Vincent Hodder, Chief Executive Officer of Leeds Bradford Airport, said: “On behalf of LBA, I sincerely apologise for the airport exceeding the permitted number of night flights in Summer 2022.

"I want to reassure our local communities that actions have been taken quickly to address the problems that led to this error. These new controls, alongside our continued collaboration with Leeds City Council, will ensure that LBA will operate within the terms of its planning consent.

"The Summer 2023 schedules have already been adjusted with our airline partners to reflect the conditions and we are working with the Council to ensure that conditions of the planning consent are understood by all parties and adhered to.”

A spokesperson for the airport said this was “an accident we have worked to put right”.

The airport accepted it exceeded the permitted number on night flights in Summer 2022 and said it will work with the council to ensure the conditions are met.

The technology used to report on night flights was not recording flight traffic data correctly from LBA’s main database. This issue has now been addressed with a working solution in place, the spokesperson said.

The organisation that facilitates flights to UK airports was not aware of LBA’s full operating restrictions, resulting in additional night flights being allocated to the airport.

The spokesperson said the organisation that facilitates airport slots for UK airports, was not taking into account LBA’s operating restrictions meaning that a restriction on the authorised number of flights was not in place.

These restrictions have now been put in place and are being monitored to ensure their effectiveness.

Councillor Helen Hayden, Leeds City Council’s executive member for sustainable development and infrastructure, said:

“Leeds City Council understands the public concerns which have been raised regarding night-time flight movements and have investigated this matter thoroughly, in accordance with our established procedures.

“If the Breach of Condition Notice is not complied with this can escalate into summary prosecution that can be brought in the Magistrates’ Court for the offence of contravening a breach of condition notice.”