Leeds Bradford Airport night flights decision delayed

Conditions imposed on Leeds Bradford Airport limit the number of night flights it can operate

A decision on whether Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) can run more flights at night will not be made until next year.

Leeds City Council has delayed making its ruling, saying it needed time to consider "all the available evidence".

Conditions imposed on the airport currently restrict flights between 23:00 and 07:00 to limit noise for residents.

LBA, however, wants to run more journeys involving quieter aircraft and emergency flights in these hours.

The city council had initially said a decision would be made on 1 November but that deadline was postponed until 22 November.

Now, in a statement on Tuesday, the authority said the decision had been delayed again until 17 January.

"This is to ensure the council has appropriate time to consider all the available evidence. As the determination process is ongoing, we are unable to comment further," they said.

Leeds Bradford Airport wants delayed flights to be exempt from the limit on night flights

Campaigners from the Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport (GALBA) have urged the council to reject the application.

They said they feared it could lead to unlimited activity at the airport while residents try to sleep.

LBA has previously said the airport had "not submitted an application to operate an unlimited number of night flights".

Earlier this year, GALBA accused the airport of breaching its night flight quota over the summer period for a second year running.

LBA has denied this and said it was within the limit under its interpretation of the planning rules.