AN airbridge costing in the region of £300,000 is to be built at Leeds-Bradford International Airport at Yeadon.

The airbridge which will link the airport to an aircraft is expected to be in use by May.

Philip Firth, the airport's marketing manager, said the airbridge was part of the current on-going development at the airport and would help improve services.

"It will mean passengers will be able to leave the airport and board an aircraft without having to go outside," he said. "This will be of great benefit," he added.

Mr Firth said the airport board had applied to Leeds planners for permission to extend a car park on some land designated as airport operational land.

Mr Firth said: "We need to extend our car parking and the extension will provide an additional 400 car parking spaces. The land in question is attached to the current long-stay car park near Whitehouse Lane. Our application has gone to planning and we are waiting for the normal process to be gone through. If we get planning approval the car park extension should be in use by the summer."

Mr Firth said British Airways had confirmed it is to pull out its Leeds-Bradford to Gatwick flights.

City-flyer, British Airways franchise partner which runs the flights have stated the four times-a-day service to Gatwick will cease at the end of March.

Mr Firth said the news was a blow to the airport as this link had been important for both holidaymakers and businessmen who needed connections to international destinations.

"This was a vital service for the people who used it," said Mr Firth, "but there are one or two other airlines who have expressed an interest in taking over the route."

The City-Flyer has been flying from Leeds-Bradford to Gatwick for four-and-a-half years.

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