How early should I get to Leeds Bradford Airport? Holidaymakers face long queue times during busy Easter period

It comes as airports across the country struggle to deal with the rise in passenger numbers returning to pre-pandemic levels.

This is said to be due to understaffing across the industry.

Leeds Bradford Airport said it is expecting a busy Easter season, with a 76 per cent return on passenger numbers expected compared to pre-pandemic levels of travel.

Passengers on Saturday morning (April 9) were faced with long waiting times as they tried to get through security.

One passenger said that the queue for the 'fast track' lane - a paid for service which allows you to skip the regular security queues - was about 100 people deep.

Vincent Hodder, CEO of Leeds Bradford Airport said he is "confident" that the processes are in place to fix the issue.

Mr Hodder said: “The return of some normality to international travel after the past two years is very welcome news. However, we are currently contending with industry-wide issues in recruitment and staffing that are leading to longer times for passengers to move through the airport than usual.

“Although the disruption at LBA is not as severe as other airports, it is not up to our high standards. We would like to apologise to anyone who has experienced excessive queuing in recent weeks and ask for your continued patience as we do everything that we can to ensure a smooth journey for passengers.

“More staff are joining our team every week, so we do feel confident that the processes are in place to fix current issues. I hope everyone has an enjoyable Easter holiday and we look forward to seeing you at LBA soon.”

Over Easter, the airport is hosting multiple routes to popular destinations such as Spain, Italy, Greece, France, and Ireland

LBA said it has a number of measures in place to address these issues and help ensure that passengers do not miss flights.

These include actively managing queues to bring passengers forward if their flight is departing shortly, identifying peak periods of travel to ensure staff are allocated appropriately throughout the terminal and recruiting rapidly in areas with current staff shortages.

With around 37,000 passengers expected to take to the skies over the Easter weekend, LBA has shared some tips for passengers to help make travel through the airport smoother:

Arrive early: we recommend those travelling from LBA to arrive three hours prior to departure to ensure enough time to travel through security

Prepare your carry-on baggage: remove all large electronic devices (laptops, tablets, portable chargers etc), carry liquids and gels less than 100ml in a 1 litre zip lock bag, do not carry liquids over 100ml or other prohibited items in carry-on baggage

Empty your pockets: remove all items from pockets, remove any jackets or coats and remove any boots or high heeled shoes and put them and pocket contents through the x-ray units

Documents at the ready: ensure you have all necessary travel documents, passport, boarding pass and covid documentation (if applicable to the country you are travelling to)

Bring a mask: whilst use of a mask in the airport is not compulsory, some airlines still require their passengers to wear a mask on board.

A video with tips and trick to get through security is available to watch on LBA’s social media channels.