Leeds Bradford Airport Seeks Approval to Add Up to 10 Extra Night Flights in Summer
Why It MattersThe shift from movement caps to noise-quota systems could let regional UK airports expand overnight capacity for based carriers without formally raising flight-count limits.
Leeds Bradford Airport could operate up to 10 additional night flights per night during summer if Leeds City Council approves proposed changes to its operating rules, chief executive Vincent Hodder said. The airport is currently permitted 2,920 aircraft movements between 23:00 and 07:00 BST in summer, and is applying to replace that movement-count cap with a noise-quota system based on 1,450 quota points, while also condensing the defined night period to between 23:30 and 05:59. Leeds City Council is expected to decide on the plans later this autumn.
Hodder said the quota-point model, originally developed for London airports in the 1990s and updated since, assigns more points to older, noisier aircraft and fewer to newer, quieter ones, and that the proposed 1,450-point limit is calibrated so future noise can never exceed currently permitted levels. He said the changes would help Jet2 and Ryanair, which both base aircraft at the site, grow overnight operations; the airport currently runs about 18 night-time flights per day in summer. He denied the proposal amounts to abolishing the night-flight cap, saying the focus is shifting from counting movements to managing actual noise output.
As part of the proposals, the airport has offered a £5,500 grant to 700 residents living on the flight path to spend on insulation or air conditioning. Horsforth resident Cal Bailey, who has lived under the flight path for 30 years, said he is frequently woken by night flights and does not believe insulation or air conditioning would address the problem.
