Leeds Bradford Airport: Campaigners stage protest against night flights in city centre

The activists, who set up camp outside Civic Hall, held pillows that spelled out “no more night flights” and called for Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) to stop all twilight activity.

They said that night flights can cause damage to human health, air quality and the climate.

But a spokesperson for LBA has said that the airport “will continue to operate in accordance” with planning conditions - and that bosses “want to meet the demand for international connectivity that exists in the region”.

Nicky Ford, a protestor who lives in Headingley, said: “Night flights are a nightmare. My house is directly under the flight path and the noise is unbearable.

“The planes wake me up all the time - it’s really bad for my health. The World Health Organisation says that night time noise is related to all kinds of serious illnesses.

“Here in Leeds, the airport is allowed to fly thousands of planes at night every year. That’s bad news for people like me who live under the flight path but what’s worse is that LBA has flown hundreds more planes than allowed.”

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She added: “This is the third year in a row that the airport will break the rules that limit the number of night flights. After they broke the rules in 2022, the airport’s boss apologised and said it wouldn’t happen again.

“Well it has - for another two years. I can’t understand why Leeds City Council hasn’t done something to make LBA stick to the rules. If it was you or me breaking the rules, you can bet we’d be punished.”

More than 70 organisations across the world have declared September 13 as the ‘International Day for a Ban on Night Flights at Airports’.

Ian Coatman, from the Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport (GALBA), said: “Air traffic noise is associated with serious health problems.

“The most critical include heart disease, diabetes, cognitive impairment - especially in children - as well as mental health issues like stress and depression.

“One health study estimates that night flights near Frankfurt airport in Germany have led to 2,340 hospitalisations and 340 deaths per year.”

On September 6, Leeds City Council rejected the third of LBA’s four CLEUD (Certificate of Lawfulness of Existing Use or Development) applications, which could see night flying rules amended. But LBA has appealed against the decisions made by the planning inspectorate.

Ian added: “We’re pleased that Leeds City Council has rejected yet another attempt by LBA to change the rules and we urge the Council to reject LBA’s final CLEUD application as quickly as possible.

“It’s obvious what LBA are doing - instead of sticking to the rules that exist to protect our health, they want to change those rules. That’s not fair and it’s not safe for the people of Leeds.”

Nick Hodgkinson, Chair of GALBA, said: “As well as harming human health, every extra night flight pumps more pollution into the atmosphere, damaging the air we breathe and the climate we all depend on.”

In response to the concerns, Vincent Hodder, CEO of Leeds Bradford Airport, said: “Today we have submitted three appeals with the planning inspectorate against the non-determination and refusal by Leeds City Council of LBA’s CLEUD applications made in December 2023.

“To be clear, LBA isn’t looking to secure a new planning consent, amend the current conditions or operate an unlimited number of night flights but after a much extended decision-making period and significant level of public interest, we have requested a public inquiry which will allow an informed decision to be made by an independent third party on the correct legal interpretation of the existing planning conditions governing the operation of night flights at LBA.

“In the meantime, we have and will continue to operate in accordance with our interpretation of the planning conditions.

“The purpose of the existing planning consent when granted was to allow night flights but minimise the potential for increased noise of those flights on local communities. Our interpretation of the conditions stays true to this purpose and would encourage airlines to deploy the latest generation of aircraft which are quieter and more efficient.

“We want to meet the demand for international connectivity that exists in the region and play our part in driving economic growth in Yorkshire.

“We are investing over £200m of private money into improving our passenger experience, creating up to 5,500 new jobs in the region and adding nearly £1bn to the growth of the UK economy in the process. We remain committed to delivering this growth in a sustainable manner and remain on course to achieve our Net Zero by 2030 targets.”