Leeds Bradford International Airport's Air Traffic and Safety Services Manager Andy Ormshaw asked the public inquiry inspector to refuse permission for Npower Renewables to build eight turbines at Knabs Ridge, beside the A59, three miles west of Harrogate.
At the opening of the inquiry into the company's appeal against Harrogate Council's refusal of planning permission, its barrister David Hardy said the inquiry was the first in England to consider the effect of wind turbines on the radar at a major civil airport.
Yesterday Mr Hardy told the inspector, Graham Self it was not unusual for wind turbines to "paint" on civil airport radars. "The fact that an individual wind turbine or cluster of turbines would be visible to an air traffic control radar does not automatically mean that planning permission should be refused."
But Mr Ormshaw, a former senior air traffic controller on the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, who has 29 years experience, said the proposed windfarm at Knabs Ridge would present a risk to the safety and operation of air traffic control based at the Yeadon airport.
Efforts to reduce this risk would mean changes to the system of air traffic control in the area, which would reduce its efficiency and lead to greater queues of aircraft kept in the air waiting to land.
The inquiry heard the Department of Trade and Industry's interim guidelines on windfarms warn that a combination of turbine blades can appear on primary radar as a moving object. "This may cause air traffic controllers to perceive this as an unidentified aircraft and to take action to ensure that other aircraft avoid it."
The guidelines add: "The effects of clutter on flight safety are always potentially extremely serious. Developers must bear in mind that there are some locations in which the presence of turbines is unlikely ever to be tolerated."
Mr Ormshaw said there were two ways in which the windfarms could affect Leeds Bradford International Airport: Genuine aircraft returns could be lost within the clutter caused by the turbine blades; unknown aircraft appearing within the area of clutter may not be distinguishable from returns produced by the windfarm turbines.
"This clearly represents a safety hazard and avoidance is the only way to be certain that 'hidden' unknown contacts are avoided," he said.
While the inquiry was dealing with the Knabs Ridge proposal, Mr Ormshaw said there were other windfarms in the pipeline. Many of these would undoubtedly appear as returns on the primary radar system at the Yeadon airport. "The cumulative effect of these sites would be to reduce the flexibility and severely constrain the safe and efficient operation of the airspace."
Mr Ormshaw produced evidence from Newcastle Airport, which has 10 turbines at Kirkheaton occasionally appearing on its radars.
The inquiry continues.