Leeds Bradford Airport campaigners cast doubt on £750m economy benefits claim
Campaigners say Yorkshire airport bosses ignored the costs of the business in a new report which claimed it contributes nearly £750m to West Yorkshire’s economy.
Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) executives said it was a key driver of jobs, investment, tourism and business growth in the region in the publication last week.
But the Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport branded its figures “unsubstantiated”. It said the report also ignored the costs of outbound tourism, noise, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Group chair Nick Hodgkinson said the claims made were on “shaky ground”, making no mention of the airport’s downsides.
“As well as the costs to the NHS caused by noise-related illnesses and air pollution, one of the biggest economic costs of the airport is that it flies massively more local people abroad on holiday than it brings in tourists to our region,” he said.
“No one is saying people shouldn’t go on holiday abroad but let’s be honest about the impact of LBA’s ‘bucket and spade’ business model.”
He said there was no mention in the report about greenhouse gas emissions released by planes using the airport which he claimed accounted for 95 per cent of emissions at LBA.
It also remained unclear who had written the report which was published by the airport. “It looks very much like the airport has marked its own homework,” he said.
The group claimed the report was designed to support a planning application which was submitted by the airport to ease restrictions on night flights, calling for any use of its findings in the process to face full scrutiny. Ian Coatman, the campaign group’s secretary, said: “The planning application itself makes no specific economic claims that can be assessed.
“It would be grossly unfair if LBA’s economic report influences the council’s decision without being formally submitted, independently assessed and made available for public comment.”