The performance of regional airports like Leeds Bradford has been praised in a report from the Civil Aviation Authority.

Leeds Bradford has seen passenger numbers nearly treble in the past 15 years, reflecting a massive growth in the use of regional airports in the period.

Nationally, the biggest growth has been in scheduled services to Europe, where the 1993 "open skies" policy has led to the rise of low-fare airlines.

The CAA report says regional airports like Leeds Bradford have adopted a more commercial approach and have actively sought new business with the "strong and sustained growth" helping regional economic development.

Since 1990, the number of passengers using Leeds Bradford has grown from 800,000 to 2.35 million per year.

The airport has witnessed major growth in the past two years since the launch of low-cost airline Jet2.com and earlier this year, the airport was named as one of the fastest growing in the UK.

Managing director Ed Anderson expects passenger numbers to grow to 2.7 million for 2005 and up to seven million by 2030.

CAA economic regulation group director Harry Bush said: "The study shows how UK regional airports, and the airlines that serve them, have expanded their networks and now provide a much richer set of travel choices for their customers.

"The growth in services to European cities has been particularly strong, showing how well the opportunities afforded by the liberalisation of the EU aviation market have been exploited.

"The challenge for policymakers is to build on the success so far by continuing to allow the interplay of commercially-minded airports and airlines to improve services and increase choice for consumers, which in turn can help to deliver regional development aims."