Airport loses appeal over night-time flights limit

Night-time flights at Leeds Bradford Airport will remain capped
- Published
Leeds Bradford Airport has failed in its appeal against a decision to limit the number of night flights it can operate.
Leeds City Council rejected the site's interpretation of night-flying rules in 2024 after accusations the limit on permitted night flights had been breached over several years, but the airport appealed the decision.
A public inquiry took place in March and April to determine the legal meaning of the night-time flying rules, with the government planning inspectorate dismissing two of the airport's three appeals.
An airport spokesperson said they were "reviewing the outcomes of the public inquiry and will be working closely with the council to determine the best path forward".
Council officers were "working through the detail of the decisions to assess any potential planning implications," a spokesperson for the authority said.
Currently Leeds Bradford Airport is permitted 2,920 take offs and landings between 23:00 and 07:00 during the summer.
However, campaign group Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport (GALBA) said the airport had breached that limit in each of the past three years.
The inspectorate's decision was welcomed by members of GALBA, with secretary Ian Coatman describing it as "a victory for local people, our environment and common sense".

Airport representatives will work "closely with the council" on the implications of the ruling, a spokesperson says
The airport previously admitted it did "accidentally" breach the night-time regulations in 2022 due to "errors taking place in reporting procedures", but claimed it had not gone over the limits in 2023 and 2024 based on its interpretation of the rules.
"While it doesn't mean an end to all night flights, it does mean the airport must stick to the rules that limit the number of planes allowed to fly at night," said Mr Coatman, who lives near the airport in Yeardley.
Airport bosses had wanted newer aircraft to be exempt from the cap, as well as smaller planes and flights which had been delayed.
They made three applications to the council for Certificates of Lawful Existing Use or Development (CLEUDs), asking them to reinterpret the meaning of the local night flight planning conditions.
A spokesperson said updating the rules would "provide the correct legal interpretation of the existing planning conditions governing the operation of night flights at LBA".
However, two CLEUD applications were rejected by the council and the third was left "undecided", prompting LBA to appeal.
The planning inspectorate dismissed two of the three appeals, but said the council's decision to reject an exemption for some smaller, less noisy planes was "not well-founded".
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