Bradford's Pakistani community has launched a campaign to get flights to and from their homeland at Leeds Bradford International Airport.

Each year thousands of people from West Yorkshire, and Bradford in particular, drive to Manchester to board the plane or pick up relatives from Islamabad. Now prominent members of the community are staging a range of meetings to try to bring the service to their local airport.

Airport Managing Director Ed Anderson said he would welcome a move from PIA (Pakistan International Airlines) and he had been talking to them about the possibilities for some time.

"Certainly the demand is there and it's a good start. We would do everything possible to encourage it," he said.

He added that talks continued all the time with airlines as the airport's strategy was to provide more popular flights, including those to holiday destinations.

On Wednesday MBE holder Fazal Hussain will be taking about 50 members of the community to tour the airport and hold further discussions.

"It would make perfect sense for PIA. I have nothing against Manchester but most of the people are going from West Yorkshire,'' he said.

A PIA spokesman said: "PIA is looking at all sorts of variations to its network.''

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