Leeds-Bradford Airport's new terminal will look like this if approved

The CGI pictures, sent out today, show what the check-in hall, departures lounge and arrivals gate could look like.

All three images showcase a bright setting, with a warm and relaxed atmosphere.

This comes from a combination of large glass fronted walls and high ceilings.

Electronic check-in desks feature in the CGI image of the check-in area, which is set to be three times bigger than the current facility.

The image of the arrivals gate showcases a spacious area with a food stall.

There are also no queues and the area is not busy, with the idea being that new modern baggage machines will mean passengers won't have to wait around for their luggage.

LBA's plans for a replacement terminal were submitted to Leeds City Council in May 2020 and a decision for the latest proposal is expected in Autumn of this year.

The terminal will be a three floor, 34,000 square metre building on an alternative site within the aiport's boundary.

It would be the most environmentally efficient airport building in the UK and deliver a passenger experience beyond what is achievable in the existing terminal, which has a legacy of several piecemeal extensions over the course of its 55-year history.

Hywel Rees, Chief Executive of Leeds Bradford Airport, said: “It’s no secret that the current terminal at Leeds Bradford Airport is outdated.

"Essentially, the airport has only ever had ad-hoc additions made to it over the last five and a half decades.

"The expectations of passengers have rightfully changed exponentially in this time and it is only right that we move to meet them.

"We hope that these images can capture the imagination of passengers old and new, as well as generate a sense of excitement for a project we believe can significantly benefit the region.”

Some of the specific improvements that the new terminal will bring, if the plans are approved, are:

• A check-in area three times bigger than the current facility, helping to significantly reduce overall queuing times and increase capacity
• Spacious, temperature-controlled and naturally lit check in, security and departure hall
• A focus on public transport, with a new bus terminal located as close as possible to the terminal entrance and closer to the proposed Parkway rail station
• An improved and wider range of bars, eateries, shops and lounges
• Improved disabled access
• Departure gates that allow passengers to walk straight onto aircraft from the terminal
• An appropriately sized arrivals hall, with modern baggage machines and fewer queues
• Significantly faster journey through the terminal building
• Improved toilets and changing facilities equally spaced throughout the terminal

Construction of the replacement terminal is expected to be completed as early as 2023, if the plans are approved.

But, there has been strong opposition to the proposal, particularly from the Group for Action on Leeds-Bradford Airport (GALBA).

The group outlines that the potential environmental benefits of the new terminal would be offset by supposed plans to extend daytime flying hours at the airport, according to GALBA Chair, Chris Foren.

He said: "From 2030, an expanded LBA would pump out more greenhouse gas emissions than are allowed in the carbon budget for the whole of the rest of Leeds.

"A new terminal building could be more energy efficient but only 1.3 per cent of LBA’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the terminal.

"93 per cent come from flights – which LBA wants to increase – and there is no prospect of carbon free commercial aircraft for decades.

"Quite simply, increasing flying is incompatible with combatting the climate emergency.

"What we do in the next 10 years will determine the future of humanity over the next 10 thousand.

"We can choose what kind of future we want."

For more detail on LBA’s proposal, and the option to share your thoughts, then visit Leeds City Council’s planning portal and quote the reference number: 20/02559/FU.