Leeds Bradford: £100m Regeneration Programme REGEN

Is it an "Irish Coffee"?

Two new fuel tanks awaiting install. Same size as existing tanks by the looks

markietg said:

. For those of us wondering exactly where the new seating and loo’s are from those pics posted a few weeks back, well, remember that corridor you walked along from the old bit to the new bit which had good apron views, that has now gone. It’s basically just to the left of that area. We could hear work being carried out where the apron view windows were so hopefully they’ll come back.

Click to expand...

The area you mentioned where the windows are, that's going to become an extension to the former arrivals corridor. The walkway will link the departure gates with the west end of the terminal, and the west end of the terminal with the new domestic arrivals and the new international arrivals.

This might sound a dumb question but may clear things up for other forum members as well, but the area between the new departure lounge and the old departure area, the bit that currently consists of the long white mazy of a corridor with a large section we currently cant see into because of construction , well is that eventually going to become part of the departure lounge, so basically joining the two together to form a huge departure lounge?

LBA4EVER said:

This might sound a dumb question but may clear things up for other forum members as well, but the area between the new departure lounge and the old departure area, the bit that currently consists of the long white mazy of a corridor with a large section we currently cant see into because of construction , well is that eventually going to become part of the departure lounge, so basically joining the two together to form a huge departure lounge?

Click to expand...

Not a dumb question as I've been wondering that as well. Hopefully someone on here can clarify this for us all.

LBA4EVER said:

This might sound a dumb question but may clear things up for other forum members as well, but the area between the new departure lounge and the old departure area, the bit that currently consists of the long white mazy of a corridor with a large section we currently cant see into because of construction , well is that eventually going to become part of the departure lounge, so basically joining the two together to form a huge departure lounge?

Click to expand...

If you see my earlier post. The red area is a two channel walkway with several stairwells along the route. It will be used by arrival and departure flights to and from the extension. It runs from the west side of the terminal up to the point where it reaches the new building. From that point it continues via a stairwell to the ground level and on to the new immigration area.

Aviador said:

If you see my earlier post. The red area is a two channel walkway with several stairwells along the route. It will be used by arrival and departure flights to and from the extension. It runs from the west side of the terminal up to the point where it reaches the new building. From that point it continues via a stairwell to the ground level and on to the new immigration area.

Click to expand...

Im still no clearer. currently pax have to walk down a maze of a walkway to arrive at the new dep lounge, so surely both lounges are to be joined together? So my question is are both departure lounges going to be joined together, yes or no?

Yes

Aviador said:

Yes

Click to expand...

Thankyou, wow so its going to be one heck of large departure lounge once completed. Really looking forwards to seeing the completed works in the old part of the terminal, Onwards and upwards!

@LBA4EVER I understand it will be nearly as long as the runway and certainly flatter 😜
Joking aside this sounds really good news and if this is to help us handle 7mppa in the future then it will need to be this big

Finger66 said:

@LBA4EVER I understand it will be nearly as long as the runway and certainly flatter 😜
Joking aside this sounds really good news and if this is to help us handle 7mppa in the future then it will need to be this big

Click to expand...

Well of course it will be flatter but not much in it when it comes to length 😂
But yes certainly looking forwards to seeing the terminal works completed.

HX3 said:

Is the screening zone the next part of the development to come on line in September, or is there something before that?

Click to expand...

White Heather said:

Opening outlet schedule:
Starbucks. 6/26
WH Smith #2. 6/26
World Duty Free. 9/26
Montys Bar. 9/26
Addl units. 5/27
WH Smith #1. 6/27
Upper Crust. 7/27
Junipers Bar. 7/27

Airport facilities schedule

Gate 5. 9/26
Central Screening Zone. 9/26
Gate 6. 11/26
Customs complete. 5/27
Domestic baggage reclaim 8/27
Int. Baggage Reclaim comp. 9/27

Possibly a 24/7 landside store to come.

Click to expand...

Thanks for reposting the dates.

Just in departure lounge now and the lack of seating shows as there is no where to sit.

Expect long queues at Leeds Bradford Airport this summer … but things should start to improve in the autumn​

Article by Andy Hirst at the HuddersfieldHub.co.uk ​

Travellers going through Leeds Bradford Airport face long queues at times to get through security – and that could continue until at least the autumn.

Several Huddersfield Hub readers have complained about lengthy queues at the airport to get through security, sometimes stretching outside the building early in the morning when several flights are due to leave within a short time.

They also say it’s exceptionally busy in the new terminal extension building which opened last summer with queues for the toilets, restaurants and bars along with difficulty finding a seat.

This is due to the ongoing £100m renovation scheme on the original terminal which means, for example, the toilets before people go through security are outside in temporary portable buildings and large parts of the building are boarded off.

Passengers arriving at the airport on flights end up walking through a long temporary corridor straight out into an area in front of the airport rather than into the airport itself.

When the new terminal extension (pictured below) opened in June 2025 the airport said the entire renovation scheme to upgrade the original terminal building would be completed in 2026.







Huddersfield Hub contacted the airport to try to get a timescale for the work and the good news is that a new security hall which will have 50% more space and capacity than the current one will open in the autumn.

But they are unable to give a specific month and are also unable to provide a timeline for when the rest of the renovation work on the original building will be finished and the airport returns to normal.

In a statement they say: “We recognise that carrying out major construction work within a live operating airport inevitably presents challenges at peak times, particularly during busy holiday periods.

“A key milestone in the redevelopment will be the opening of the new central security screening area in autumn 2026. Relocating to an entirely new part of the terminal, it will be approximately 50% larger than the existing facility and equipped with next-generation security screening technology.

“The new security area will increase processing capacity, improve operational efficiency and help reduce queue times, delivering a faster, smoother and more comfortable experience for passengers.’’

The statement adds: “Leeds Bradford Airport continues to undergo its largest terminal redevelopment in decades and, while construction is still ongoing, a number of significant improvements have already been delivered for passengers.

“Compared with June 2025 we have increased free seating capacity by around 112%, providing a much larger, lighter, cooler and more spacious departures area for customers. While some parts of the terminal remain under construction, these improvements are already helping to enhance the passenger experience.

“The terminal redevelopment represents an investment of approximately £100 million with work continuing throughout 2026 to deliver further improvements to the airport’s facilities.

“As additional phases are completed, passengers will benefit from more seating throughout the terminal, upgraded toilet facilities, an expanded range of food, drink and retail outlets, improved circulation space and modernised passenger facilities from check-in through to departures and arrivals.

“Once the works are complete, arriving passengers will exit through the main terminal building rather than the temporary arrivals route currently in use due to the construction.

“We thank passengers for their patience while these improvements continue and are confident the completed redevelopment will deliver a substantially enhanced experience for everyone travelling through Leeds Bradford Airport.”

It’s exactly the same 'open-heart surgery on a live patient' scenario we saw during the massive security hall redevelopment at Birmingham airport recently.

BHX was an absolute nightmare during their £40m upgrade, with passengers forced into giant downstairs queuing structures and temporary overspill marquees outside just to get near the terminal scanners. It was total carnage during the morning waves causing daily disruption to flights, but now that they've come out the other side, the operational flow and the extra space have completely transformed the place.

Farrans are basically running the same logistical gauntlet at Yeadon right now. Trying to rip out and reconfigure a cramped, legacy 1960s footprint while thousands of passengers stream through every morning is a massive tightrope act. Having the arrivals meeting area outside is a right pain when the Yorkshire weather misbehaves, but if this temporary routing avoids the multi-hour terminal gridlock that Birmingham suffered at its worst, the airport management will probably take that as a win.

It’s ugly and frustrating on the ground right now, but it's the only way LBA physically gets the modern processing capacity it desperately needs for the future.

Don't forget, this wouldn't have happened if the previous government hadn't "called in" the brand new Terminal.

Just out of interest seen as though we are going slightly off topic in the TUI thread.
It was mentioned by WH that the council were to put a planning application in July regarding hours, subject to the cry baby group not putting in a judicial review, do we know if they put in this review? Or have they gone and hopefully fallen down a big hole

They (wisely) realised the futility of the proposal and withdrew

SierraHotel said:

They (wisely) realised the futility of the proposal and withdrew

Click to expand...

I suspect they knew the airport was more likely to put another application in and they're saving their pennies to fight that.