Those of you who have travelled through Leeds Bradford airport will know that it is not exactly the best airport in the world. Sure, it serves a purpose for the local area, but with some nasty surprises such as the ‘kiss and drop’ tax and the lack of facilities within the airport, there is certainly room for improvement.

3.3 million people each year use the airport and with it being such a popular hub for Jet2 and other low cost airlines that are currently expanding, the need for a bigger airport that can truly rival the likes of Manchester and Newcastle is clear.

If the airport continues to grow, the knock-on effects on other transport links and other business opportunities means that the whole of Leeds (and Bradford!) would surely benefit.

Despite this, airport expansion is typically a painfully slow process in the UK, with the uncertain status over future developments at London airports a case in point. Given that Leeds is expecting to see a doubling of passenger numbers by 2030, now is the time real discussions to start as to how best to get the airport up to scratch.

One thing that must of course be looked into is the impact on the local environment; the Chevin area and the beautiful parks and countryside in the Yeadon and Rawdon areas need to be impacted upon to as small an extent as possible.

With over 30 hectares of greenbelt land being released for development as the plans stand, we have to hope that the plans help to shape the airport so that the environmental cost is not a wasted one. This will all be vital in ensuring that people can choose Leeds Bradford airport over other, bigger options, helping to boost our local area in the process.