Leeds Bradford: Infrastructure & Construction Updates

[Easy289]

A terminal that can handle 6.8m pax but a ramp that cannot. Long live LBA!

 

[White Heather]

A terminal that can handle 6.8m pax but a ramp that cannot. Long live LBA!

But by the time it gets anywhere near 6.8m pax, the ramp will be able to. You can't really have one without the other.

 

[LBA4EVER]

But by the time it gets anywhere near 6.8m pax, the ramp will be able to. You can't really have one without the other.

But we are now seeing periods in the summer season (esp Saturday afternoons of which its occured 3 sats in a row now) where there are no stands available and aircraft have to wait patiently until other aircraft leave stands before they can park up. If next summer is busier which im sure it will be then airlines and passengers will not be too happy, expanded and improved terminal but no where to park!

 

[Aviador]

We are peak summer now. It doesn’t get any busier and will quieten down a little in just a few weeks.

 

[White Heather]

But we are now seeing periods in the summer season (esp Saturday afternoons of which its occured 3 sats in a row now) where there are no stands available and aircraft have to wait patiently until other aircraft leave stands before they can park up. If next summer is busier which im sure it will be then airlines and passengers will not be too happy, expanded and improved terminal but no where to park!

There won't be an expanded terminal next year. It's a 2 year build, so 2025 for the extension, 2026 for the existing terminal reconfiguration.

We all know that stands are needed on occasions . So do the airport. We will just have to see if they decide to bring forward the construction of some stands or let the status quo continue resulting in some problems at peak periods or where aircraft arrive early/late, or departing aircraft are delayed leaving stand due to going tech or missing a slot.

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

But we are now seeing periods in the summer season (esp Saturday afternoons of which its occured 3 sats in a row now) where there are no stands available and aircraft have to wait patiently until other aircraft leave stands before they can park up. If next summer is busier which im sure it will be then airlines and passengers will not be too happy, expanded and improved terminal but no where to park!

That is not the fault of the airport. Blame slots for that.

 

[LBAYORKIE]

That is not the fault of the airport. Blame slots for that.

Aircraft arriving early, aircraft arriving late, tech issues, slots etc are all part of the mix. They are part of typical aircraft operations and not excuses for an airport not to be able to offer an acceptable service.

During the peaks the airport just about manages with the existing stands but 'just about managing' must surely be the trigger to start building new stands.

 

[Finger66]

If the airport hold off in building new stands now, there is going to be damage done to its reputation - not something they surely want when there is plenty of other adverse press around. I do appreciate there is not an endless pot of money but surely they can see the success they are having and now has to be the right time to "speculate to accumulate". Regardless of what is causing the issues they are clearly not going away and the airport have an opportunity to do something that is within their power

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

If people want to really pick at Leeds for having aircraft waiting. Go look at Manchester. They have aircraft waiting for upwards of an hour due to lack of stands.

 

[Finger66]

@Sherburnflyer92 I take it that was aimed at me, which is fine by the way. I am one of LBA's biggest fans, but MAN doesn't as far as I know have the same negative press associated to it and it is perceived as the airport for the north, whether rightly or wrongly, so LBA need to limit the damage here. It has been building up to this point for quite a while so isn't actually a surprise to anyone. Yes a full pandemic recovery needed to be assured but LBA got there quicker than most so something needs doing - now

 

[Easy289]

I agree Finger66, LBA and proactiveness have been poles apart for far too long. It's time for "Yorkshires airport" to up its game. I find it hard to accept/believe LBA cannot secure funding necessary to construct several more stands within the next 12-24 months.

 

[LBAYORKIE]

If people want to really pick at Leeds for having aircraft waiting. Go look at Manchester. They have aircraft waiting for upwards of an hour due to lack of stands.

And despite this airlines still flock to Manchester! Contrast this with Leeds that struggles to attract new carriers. We cant afford, having secured new airlines, to let them down. Ive said it before but Leeds needs to be that bit better than the competition.

The fact that its smaller should mean less bureaucracy and make it quicker and easier to make decisions- basically more agile than larger airports.

 

[White Heather]

This discussion is going in circles. We all know that stands are needed and have been for some time. Us complaining on here achieves nothing though. Why not write to the LBA CEO with your observations instead? Maybe if enough do so, something might happen sooner than programmed. We can moan all we like - but unless LBA management change their plans, the first additional stands are not due for around 3 years yet. Hopefully, the airport will be so successful that they will simply have to build more sooner.

Incidentally, I still don't accept that last Saturday's held aircraft in the loop was due entirely to lack of stands. If that was the case, why, with one Ryanair holding in the loop did a second Ryanair land and taxi straight to stand? Immediately after that there were two landings in quick succession, (KLM and Jet2) whilst on the apron there were two push backs - and aircraft cannot taxi to stand when aircraft are pushing back and blocking the apron. That's simply down to the restricted space available at LBA rather than a lack of sufficient stands.

Once the two push backs started moving off the aprin the aircraft taxied to stand immediately.

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

@Sherburnflyer92 I take it that was aimed at me, which is fine by the way. I am one of LBA's biggest fans, but MAN doesn't as far as I know have the same negative press associated to it and it is perceived as the airport for the north, whether rightly or wrongly, so LBA need to limit the damage here. It has been building up to this point for quite a while so isn't actually a surprise to anyone. Yes a full pandemic recovery needed to be assured but LBA got there quicker than most so something needs doing - now

No no not aimed at anyone. Just pointing out that MAN is suffering at the moment and that is due to construction works. An hour to wait for a stand is a joke.

Also - there are several stands where aircraft could be parked but the lack of bus drivers/buses makes it impossible to use the remote stands. LBA will only want to use one or two to limit the requirements of drivers/buses and towing aircraft onto the stands that don't require buses. All a juggle.

Also there are slots, delays, tech issues, which all compound the need to stands. It happens.

 

[Easy289]

Lack of bus drivers may be partly down to a £10.50 hourly rate currently on offer to Customer Experience Officers at LBA.

 

[lbaspotter]

Easy way round is to start slowing down inbound approaching aircraft with longer routings, or failing that put them into the LBA overhead hold whilst stands become available then let them in 1 at a time.

 

[LBA4EVER]

I agree Finger66, LBA and proactiveness have been poles apart for far too long. It's time for "Yorkshires airport" to up its game. I find it hard to accept/believe LBA cannot secure funding necessary to construct several more stands within the next 12-24 months.

Exactly, i know there is more to it than just laying more concrete but through looking at birds eye views of the airfield there are 3 grassed areas that could be filled in, thats it! Haha

And despite this airlines still flock to Manchester! Contrast this with Leeds that struggles to attract new carriers. We cant afford, having secured new airlines, to let them down. Ive said it before but Leeds needs to be that bit better than the competition.

The fact that its smaller should mean less bureaucracy and make it quicker and easier to make decisions- basically more agile than larger airports.

The reason LBA Struggles to attract new carriers is simply because the whole bloody airport needs sorting out and everything to do with it! terminal, apron, runway, stigma! But hopefully from sept things will start to change in a positive way, Going to hide now!

 

[LBAYORKIE]

Easy way round is to start slowing down inbound approaching with aircraft with longer routing, or failing that put them into the LBA overhead hold whilst stands become available

Sounds like an expensive option.

 

[White Heather]

Sounds like an expensive option.

It happens at many airports. Even back in 1982 we had to hold 30 minutes before an approach into Corfu. Either way engines are running and burning kerosene.

The way this discussion is going you'd think LBA is worse than anywhere else and airlines are going to be p****d off but they expect these delays. They get them just about everywhere at some time or other. Half the time it's airlines failing to keep to schedule that causes the problems in the first place, yet the assertion here is that LBA are 'letting down' airlines . The airport call these airlines ' airline partners' for a reason. It's a business partnership and both parties have a responsibility. You cannot blame LBA for everything when regularly the problems lie just as much with the airline, or other airports or handling agencies.

 

[AndyL]

This discussion is going in circles. We all know that stands are needed and have been for some time. Us complaining on here achieves nothing though. Why not write to the LBA CEO with your observations instead? Maybe if enough do so, something might happen sooner than programmed. We can moan all we like - but unless LBA management change their plans, the first additional stands are not due for around 3 years yet. Hopefully, the airport will be so successful that they will simply have to build more sooner.

Incidentally, I still don't accept that last Saturday's held aircraft in the loop was due entirely to lack of stands. If that was the case, why, with one Ryanair holding in the loop did a second Ryanair land and taxi straight to stand? Immediately after that there were two landings in quick succession, (KLM and Jet2) whilst on the apron there were two push backs - and aircraft cannot taxi to stand when aircraft are pushing back and blocking the apron. That's simply down to the restricted space available at LBA rather than a lack of sufficient stands.

Once the two push backs started moving off the aprin the aircraft taxied to stand immediately.

Do additional parking stands require planning permission?