Leeds Bradford Airport hits new record after welcoming over 4 million passengers in 2017

Over four million people travelled through Leeds Bradford Airport last year, setting a new record for passenger numbers.

In a year where 4,078,069 passengers used the airport, August was the busiest month with 524,707 flying through LBA.

The same month saw the airport record its busiest ever week, when more than 120,000 passengers flew out for the first time in the airport’s history.

Alicante was recorded as the most popular destination for Yorkshire’s travelling public, with 328,133 people travelling to the Costa Blanca.

With 33,024 scheduled flights to more than 70 direct destinations, 2017 saw Flybe’s inaugural flight to Dusseldorf in October, Ryanair added a new route to the Polish city of Wroclaw, and Jet2.com also increased its overall capacity as well as announcing a new route to La Rochelle in France.

This year, the airport will welcome Thomas Cook back to Leeds Bradford with services to Dalaman, Antalya and Palma for Summer 2018.

A number of changes took place in 2017, with the airport announcing David Laws as its new CEO and AMP Capital acquiring the business.

David Laws, chief executive at LBA, said: “We had a tremendous 2017 at LBA and these passenger figures show how the airport is going from strength-to-strength.

“There is a rising demand for air travel across Yorkshire and the surrounding regions, and our ambition is to meet that by offering the very best choice of destinations for both business and leisure passengers.

“Despite some disappointing setbacks, including the collapse of Monarch and a reduction in our BA service, we now have the widest choice of flights available and will continue our approach to secure additional routes to ensure the people of Yorkshire have an airport to be proud of and are connected to the world.”

Alex Sobel, MP for Leeds North West, added: “It is wonderful to see LBA doing so well. In an increasingly globalised world it is significant for us to have such a major transport hub in our local area.

“LBA is not just a transport hub however, but also a major contributor to the local community. The airport’s success is shared with Leeds North West in the form of economic prosperity and employment opportunities and I hope that it continues to grow and prosper for many years to come.”

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