THE chief executive of Leeds Bradford Airport has spoken of how the proposed redevelopment of the facility will boost the region.

Hywel Rees told members of West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Transport Committee that the new terminal building would bring the airport into the 21st century.

The existing terminal building, built in 1965, was a dated throwback that was not fit for the needs of the modern day, he claimed.

It was built for an expected half a million travellers - but now deals with four million.

Plans for a new terminal have proved controversial, with numerous groups and campaigners questioning whether support should be given for an airport expansion at a time when local authorities have declared a climate emergency - and pledged to reduce carbon emissions.

But Mr Rees told the meeting that the goal was to update the airport's facilities, rather than focus on boosting passenger numbers.

He said the existing airport layout was not ideal - people arriving on late flights often had to disembark from the plane and wait to get a shuttle that would then transport them across the site to the terminal.

There were too few seats in departure lounges, and the building's layout was not ideal for people with mobility issues.

The new building would be built on the far side of the airport - meaning the existing airport could stay operational while the new terminal is being built.

Mr Rees said: "We need to make the building as environmentally friendly as possible."

As well as work on the building - the plans will also look to reduce car journeys to the airport.

Passengers could catch a shuttle bus from both Bradford city centre and Leeds city centre to the airport.

And passengers will be encouraged to come to work by a shuttle bus or bike, rather than car. They were looking at whether this bus could be electric powered.

A planned parkway station to service the airport would also have a green shuttle service - although Mr Rees scuppered calls for a monorail to ferry passengers from the station to the terminal, as it would likely cost more than the entire terminal project.

Referring to concerns about the environmental impact of the refurbishment, he said the work was not comparable to the planned Heathrow expansion - as that was solely focused on increasing passenger numbers, and not refurbishing existing facilities. He said: "We are not asking to go beyond our existing number of passengers. It will be more efficient and better designed, but not necessarily handle many more passengers than we already have.

He told the meeting work was being done to find more environmentally friendly air travel methods, with a number of companies due to trial electric planes in the coming years.

Members questioned whether it was wise to rely on a green air technology emerging in the future. Mr Rees replied: "I carry an iPhone in my pocket. Ten years ago iPhones didn’t exist.

"As of now there is no electric solution to powering an aircraft that carries 400 people across the Atlantic.

“But I don’t believe humanity is incapable of this kind of innovation."

The terminal plans will ultimately be decided by Leeds City Council.