Future Infrastructure Developments

[User0001]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

According to article below - work to begin sometime in the first 6 months of next year.
Any more detail from the Consultative Committee, White Heather?
***
Leeds-Bradford International Airport will be the only UK airport to grow next year as the aviation industry continues to struggle with the impact of the global recession.

Airport boss John Parkin told a Bradford business gathering that LBIA was on track for ‘double digit’ growth in its business in 2010. Work would continue to increase the number of direct routes from 79 to 120.

Mr Parkin said: “In 2010, LBIA will achieve double digit growth and will be the only UK airport to show any growth, let alone double digit.”

The airport’s chief executive also revealed that work would start on the new £28 million terminal development in the first half of next year, although an exact date had still to be set.

The new two storey terminal is a key part of a £70 million five-year transformation programme by the airport’s owner Bridgepoint and is designed to double passenger numbers to five million and provide better facilities.

Mr Parkin told Bradford Property Forum that the decision by Ryanair to transfer from Manchester to LBIA from March was a boost, putting the airport at the heart of a business which carried 69 million passengers a year.

Ryanair’s move would create jobs and around 1,000 jobs at the airport would be generated from every extra million passengers generated.

Mr Parkin said the Flybe service to London Gatwick had been expanded to three return flights a day and was now used by 1,500 passengers a week. He revealed that moves were being made to restore a service between LBIA and Heathrow, but this would depend on being able to find landing slots there.

The forum agreed to look at establishing a steering group to help the campaign for a new tram-train light rail link to the airport. If this went ahead, LBIA would have a rail station within walking distance of the new terminal and the light railway would be part of the regional rail network.

Mr Parkin said getting a new rail link was the priority above road improvements and could reduce the number of cars on the M62 corridor by four million a year. With public spending expected to be slashed by whichever party wins the General Election, there was a need to keep up the pressure.

He said: “ We are currently under performing with half the number of passengers we should have.

“This offers us big opportunities to expand which would help generate economic growth, create jobs and be of particular benefit to Bradford and Leeds. A successful city region requires a successful regional airport and LBIA has great growth potential.

“We have many of the requirements in place to achieve our aims.”

 

[backtrack]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

Good words, but id be interested to see if they pull off, especially the increase of routes from 79 to 120, i just wonder where those extra 41 routes will be too?

On another note, does anyone know how Tony Hallwood got on at the annual Routes 09 conference in China this year?

 

[White Heather]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

HI LS16 and everyone else

Many apologies, but I could not get to the Consultative Committee meeting today. I intended to, but in the end my plans were scuppered due to urgent work demands, and sadly, work comes first. Unlike most people who attend the Committee, aviation is not my employment, so I have to take annual leave to attend, and that is fine as long as it doesn't impact on work. Today, it did, and I was unable to take the afternoon off. I will of course update you all when I get the minutes, although I am certain that the MD's update will simply confirm what he said above.

With regard to the terminal, I have posted before that it will probably not start until next year - I would expect it to be Spring. When they got planning consent, they would have design plans for the building, but once consent was given those would have to be expanded to include the designs for drainage and all mechanical and electrical works. That in itself takes some time, and then the plans have to be approved by building control and the fire officer. For works of this size they are also notifiable under CDM regulations, with Health and Saftey plans. Method Statments etc all being produced. Finally there is the tender process to go through and that can take up to 8 weeks. The whole process takes months to complete. In addition, I cannot see them wanting to commence doing external ground works in the worst of the English winter weather. So, I would expect a start around April 2010 and completion in time for the summer season 2011, although that is pure guesswork on my part.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

LBA is probably in the best position of any UK airport to kick on with increased passenger numbers.
Apart from the new Ryanair base having an obvious effect I have long believed (even from the distant viewpoint of the West Country) that LBA has massively under-achieved vis-a-vis its potential.

I am not blaming anyone for this and part of the problem is the challenging site and limitations on infrastructure.

However, I have pointed out elsewhere in the LBA forum how large the urban area is which is confirmed by EU figures and it should be getting a much bigger share of this cake.

 

[White Heather]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

I am not blaming anyone for this and part of the problem is the challenging site and limitations on infrastructure.

As someone who has campaigned for LBA for rather too many years now, I blame Leeds City Council for the failure of the airport to develop as it should, plus several Environment Ministers who blocked airport expansion at LBA whilst allowing it at MAN and other airports, in particularly Peter Walker MP, who turned down the original runway extension application in the early 70's.

The Council failed to support the application for a runway extension for years, and amazingly many councillors questioned the need for an airport at all, stating that we should all go to MAN. Even when it was finally accepted that we needed a runway, and it was built, the support was luke warm and not surprisingly the Government, in an attempt to apease the NIMBY's, slapped a night flying restriction on the airport that was not there before. This effectively gave us what we needed with one hand, an took it away with the other. Airlines (notably tour operators such as Thomson/Britannia and Intasun/Air Europe) refused to base aircraft at LBA due to the night restrictions so all we ended up with was restricted numbers of charter flights in the middle of W rotations, or foreign airlines operating instead.

Around the same time, there were proposals for a Pudsey to Dishforth motoway link, between the M62 and A1. One of the route options for this ran right alongside the airport boundary and would have provided the perfect Motorway link from the A1, M62 and M1. Leeds Council objected to that route on environmental grounds so it never happened. Further along the same proposed route, North Yorkshire Council allowed the building of the Harrogate and Knaresborough by-pass, so part of the road did get built, albeit on a non Motorway basis.

Even after the runway extension, Leeds Council objected to an applicaton for the restoration of 24 hour flying when the first application was made, and we in the Support Group found ourselves opposing our own Council at the public enquiry. Although they eventually saw the error of their ways and granted the applicaton, they continued even then to invest virtually nothing in the infrastructure around the airport, hence the dire roads we now have, and the council's demands to Bridgepoint to fund what they failed to do.

Given the proximity of MAN, the above factors and the topography surrounding LBA, it is no surprise that it has never managed to achieve its true potential based on the size of its cathment area. As soon as the restrictions were removed, it expanded rapidly, and would have continued to do so had it not been for the downturn in the economy.

However, there is no doubt at all that given the proper support by the Council over the years, it would at the very least have grown along similar lines to Newcastle and East Midlands Airports, and in all probability, have double the passenger numbers it now has, at the very least.

 

[User0001]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

He revealed that moves were being made to restore a service between LBIA and Heathrow, but this would depend on being able to find landing slots there.

Interesting, I wonder who they are approaching to do this, assuming not BMI!

 

[Aviador]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

[textarea]Ask for Development Enquiry Centre
Direct Line (0113) 222 4409
Central Switchboard (0113) 222 4444
Fax (0113) 247 6518
Minicom (0113) 222 4410
EMail [email protected]

ApplicationNumber: P/08/06944/FU/NW

¬-
Date: 16 December 2009

Dear Sir/Madam

For Two storey extension to main airport terminal building to provide new entrance, improved internal facilities and associated landscaping works to the terminal building forecourt

Applicant Leeds Bradford International Airport
Address Leeds And Bradford Airport Whitehouse Lane Yeadon

Your observations on the above application have been taken into account in reaching a decision. After careful consideration, the Local Planning Authority has approved the application.

If you would like to know the details of any conditions, or the reasons why the application has been approved please contact the Development Enquiry Centre on the number at the top of this letter. Details are also listed on our website at http://www.leeds.gov.uk/publicaccess from the downloads section on the right hand side of the screen. From this section select the appropriate Planning Decisions: Full Conditions and Reasons which are organised in date order with the most recent first. These details will be available within ten working days of the decision.



Yours faithfully[/textarea]

Official confirmation that the deal is done. Bring on the builders! :drinks:

 

[backtrack]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

Still no news on when the work will start then?

 

[empire]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

Nothing significant for another 18 months with a completion date of 2012 is what I've heard.

 

[Aviador]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

Nothing significant for another 18 months with a completion date of 2012 is what I've heard.

White Heather was estimating around March time as a guess. The contract has gone out to tender which usually takes around three months apparently. I'm told it will be a further three months before we see anything happening, so March/April sounds about right.

 

[backtrack]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

Great timing, just when Ryanair base here, all the work will begin. I can see it being rather busy up at olde LBA around March time.

 

[Aviador]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

Great timing, just when Ryanair base here, all the work will begin. I can see it being rather busy up at olde LBA around March time.

True but if it does start in March or April when Ryanair opens it base at least it should calm the nerves of disgruntled passengers stuck in queues to departures.

 

[lbia]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

Terminal to open MAY 2012!!!

 

[Aviador]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

Terminal to open MAY 2012!!!

!!! or ??? :nea:

There hasn't been any official announcement saying that the development is delayed 12 months and the tendering of the work has gone out which does make a summer 2011 opening sound more accurate.

I'm sure once White Heather has managed to get the minutes of the last Consultative Committee meeting the situation will be clarified.

 

[User0001]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

Yes - I spoke to the Airport Director at the launch of Project America. Spring 2012 was the target date. The existing terminal can cope with upwards of 3m passengers and the airport is currently at 2.5m, so plenty of growth can be accommodated

 

[Aviador]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

LS16

I'm not suggesting that you are wrong here because I really don't know but it isn't just a case of the airport terminal can cope with "upwards of 3m passengers". The airport also wanted to increase the amount of money passenger spend and without the new shops that the new terminal extension would bring they wont be able to make any more money.

Which airport director did you ask?

 

[White Heather]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

May 2012 would represent a 1 year delay based on dates given to the Consulative Committee previously. That may be a slow down due to the recession or it may be down to the council planning delays, or a bit of both. However, it represents a very backward step if true, since it is financially beneficial to do it now, during the recession, when contractors will do the job for less. It is also sensible to build the terminal extension whilst the airport is quieter, rather than risk doing so when the airport is recovering. If their was a receovery in the summer of 2011, the terminal could quickly fail to cope what with Ryanair and Jet2 et al. We were getting very close to the 3m limit before and it wouldn't take much to get there again. The only explanation I could see would be due to Bridgepoint holding back the funding for the rest of this year, only allowing expenditure to commence in the 2010 -11 financial year (ie start spending next April). Spending includes design and planning issues ahead of terminal construction.

It goes without saying that when I get those minutes, I will let you all know what they say (if anything).

 

[lbia]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

John Parkin's words, had a presentation by him on Monday. Terminal opening May 2012, he doesn't know when the terminal construction work will start, however he said they only want to disrupt one summer, being summer 2011. There are to be some light alterations to central security screening to improve it for summer 2010. Lets face it, construction work isn't going to properly get underway until after next summer. Expect only small works to be carried out over the summer, on the whole dissapointing. One person asked why Bridgepoint have had the airport for over two years now and really nothing has been done. Mr Parkin was very clever at avoiding the answer, and any real answers to most questions.

One question was would Bridgepoint consider chaning the name of the airport, and what to. He did not answer the question clearly, however he ruled out that the new name would be after a celebrity. As has being pointed out, there is no need to alter the airport with passenger numbers falling, next summer will be less congested. I'd rather the terminal was done properly and not bodged like the current set up, and Parkin seemed to agree with that, and from his words and presentation, when the airport is finished it will be a million times better.

 

[White Heather]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

The delay is disappointing but not really suprising in view of the delays caused by the council. Whilst they are only a few months, they are probably sufficient to derail the entire programme. The fact that the council are forcing the airport to fund road/infrastructure changes too along the way may have impacted on their budgeting. There is little doubt that if they were to achieve the original completion date, the project would have been a rush and quite likely to disrupt Summer 2010. The main thing is that approval is given now, the conditions are finalised, and in a couple of years there will be a new terminal betting the City.

 

[Aviador]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

He briefed Mr Hourcade, Air France-KLM UK chief executive, about the £28 million upgrade and expansion of the main terminal complex on which airport chiefs hope work will start in the first half of next year

The latest press release about KLM and Air France is still indicating that the terminal work is to start in the first half of next year and not 2011 as some people are indicating.