Right now, if you’re a Brit wanting to jet-set across continents, you’ll probably have to go from one of the UK’s larger airports. And for a lot of us, that means travelling for hours before we’ve even left the country. But for the people of Yorkshire, that could soon be a thing of the past.
That’s because Leeds-Bradford Airport is looking into launching its first ever long-haul flights. Vincent Hodder, the hub’s chief exec, revealed that it big plans to introduce routes to the likes of New York and Chicago in the US and Oman and Dubai in the Middle East ‘over the next two to three years’.
He told the BBC: ‘We’re already having those conversations with airlines from North America and the Middle East about how we can collectively work together to make those things happen over the next two to three years.
‘I would be disappointed if by 2027 we did not have flights to North America and the Middle East.’
According to the airport, the ambitious goal would create 5,000 direct and indirect jobs and boost the regional economy by a whopping £1bn, improving Yorkshire’s links to the rest of the world.
Climate campaigners aren’t so optimistic, though. Nick Hodgkinson from Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport (GALBA) argued: ‘We cannot allow a massive increase in the [...] emissions that damage the climate and the air pollution and noise that damage the health of people living under the flight path.’
In response, Hodder pointed out the aircraft industry’s commitment to be net carbon zero by 2050.
This latest news from Leeds-Brad comes in the midst of it’s whopping £100 million makeover that ‘marks the beginning of a new era’ for the hub. Big moves all-round.
Eyes on the skies
Loads of other airports and airlines are launching new flights at the moment. Most recently, Jet2 has announced three new European holiday routes from a small English airport and a bunch of new routes running from Birmingham. There’s also been new affordable flights from Edinburgh to New York and the return of direct flights from the UK to this beautiful Caribbean island.
ICYMI: New rail passes will give you unlimited train journeys around Wales this summer
Plus: Jet2 is launching three new European holiday routes from a small English airport
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