Leeds Bradford Airport
The Air Transport White Paper published on 16 December 2003 supports additional terminal capacity and a runway extension at local authority owned Leeds Bradford Airport, but expansion should be accompanied by measures to minimise and mitigate noise impacts and improve surface access.
The core catchment area encompasses the most densely populated parts of West Yorkshire, although it also draws passengers from further afield, particularly North Yorkshire.
There has been rapid growth in recent years since the start of services by low cost operator Jet2.com to around 2.8 million passengers per annum in 2006. Usage is forecast to grow to around 7 million passengers per annum by 2030 requiring additional terminal capacity.
A short runway extension would facilitate medium and long-haul operations, and allow a wider range of aircraft to operate non-stop services with full payloads to an extended range of destinations.
This level of growth could lead to a small increase in the number of people affected by noise, and every effort should be made to mitigate and minimise these impacts.
There is a need for improvements to road access, as road links can suffer from congestion at present, especially during peak hours. It has been suggested locally that a rail link should be provided from Leeds City station to the Airport but issues of cost due to the local topography have meant that such proposals have never made any real progress. Although a local line does run relatively close by, the difference in ground levels is considerable. The airport has set a target for 50% public transport modal split to be achieved by 2016.
Humberside Airport
The Air Transport White Paper recognises the role of Humberside Airport and that Humberside is likely to be affected by competition from Robin Hood airport. While there was an initial negative impact on traffic, the airport has since returned to steady growth.
Humberside has an important role in serving the offshore oil and gas industry. It had been forecast to grow to around 1.6 mppa by 2030, but this took no account of Robin Hood airport .
It is not expected that any people will fall within the 57dBA noise contour and there are no significant physical constraints on future expansion.
Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield
Robin Hood Airport commenced commercial operation on 28 April 2005. On the site of a former Royal Air Force base sits a brand new terminal, and one of the UK's longest runways. The Airport is used by over 1 million passengers annually. This figure is estimated to reach 2.3 million passengers and 50,000 tonnes of freight each year.
It is acknowledged that noise remains the impact of greatest concern for local residents to Robin Hood Airport. Robin Hood Airport have developed a Public Noise Complaints procedure as approved by the Local Planning Authority to handle, monitor, investigate and report each complaint lodged by members of the public.
Robin Hood Airport, in conjunction with South Yorkshire Forest, gives passengers the opportunity to contribute to their local environment and take a step towards offsetting the carbon emissions from their flight.
The new initiative known as ‘Last Call!’ provides passengers with the opportunity to donate money before or after taking a flight to help plant trees in the nearby South Yorkshire Forest, thereby offsetting a certain amount of their personal carbon emissions.
Peel Airports is the first Airport group in the UK to take on a carbon emissions offsetting scheme of this scale.
