MP ALEX Sobel has criticised plans to revamp Leeds Bradford Airport with a £150 million terminal.

Mr Sobel (Lab, Leeds North West) shared his opinions in a video question-and-answer Facebook session last weekend. He claimed the planned increase in flights would not be viable in a post COVID-19 economy and said many locals also had concerns about extra early morning and late night flights.

The MP called for an extension to the consultation period, too, saying no decision should be made until at least six weeks after lockdown had ended.

The airport submitted its replacement terminal plan to Leeds City Council in May.

Mr Sobel said: “I’ll be putting an objection forward to the new building. The building in and of itself is more efficient and will produce fewer emissions than the current buildings, and I have no in-principle objections to the building of a new terminal.

“What I have an objection to is that the underlying business model means an increase in flights. In the context of coronavirus and what that has done to aviation that doesn’t make a lot of sense.

“What we will see is a drop in airline numbers and capacity. We have seen quite big lay-offs of people by airlines – the outlook for airlines doesn’t look great. It has been shown now that people can have meetings via Zoom or some sort of audio visual conferencing software, without going on short haul flights at great cost to their company.”

He went on to advise those living near the airport to contact the city council to let them know their concerns.

The airport hopes for work to start by the end of this year and for the new terminal to be up and running by 2023. Its planning application says that the current terminal is ‘dated’ and ‘inefficient’ and that the airport could lose passengers to Manchester Airport unless the improvements are approved

A Leeds Bradford Airport spokesperson said: “We always value feedback from the public, interested groups and stakeholders and we have consulted extensively both with the public and environmental experts to ensure our plans create an efficient replacement terminal.

“It is important to note that this consultation has been ongoing since January giving interested parties many opportunities to engage with, ask questions and provide feedback on our plans and we thank the thousands of people across the region who have done so.

“We are pleased there is understanding about the rationale for why a replacement terminal is so important. Our operational challenges will continue to be an issue regardless of passenger numbers, making it difficult for us to respond to passenger needs in a modern world, including accessibility, reduced queuing and better facilities, to create an overall better customer experience.”