LEEDS-BRADFORD Airport (LBA) has revealed fresh plans for a new multi-million-pound, sustainable terminal.
The £150 million scheme - privately funded by LBA's owners AMP Capital - would meet the airport's targeted demand of seven million passengers by 2030.
And work could begin as soon as the end of 2020.
LBA's current terminal - which turns 20 this year - would be replaced by this proposed state-of-the-art building, if the plans are approved.
They set out the construction of a three floor, 34,000 square-metre terminal.
The building will contain clean and airy interiors, improved shopping, restaurants and bars and excellent access and comfort from arrival to boarding.
It would also be on an alternative site to the current terminal, within the airport’s boundary.
This comes after a senior politician in Leeds claimed a planned rail station serving LBA would be "too far" from the present terminal, last week.
But, the new plans - which will replace the recently consented scheme - have addressed this issue, with the site located nearer to the proposed rail link.
Hywel Rees, Chief Executive of Leeds Bradford Airport, said: "This proposed development is hugely exciting for Leeds Bradford Airport and the North and replaces our previously approved plans.
"For more than 55 years, LBA has provided an international gateway to and from Yorkshire.
"Our vision is to serve our region as a truly outstanding airport and to profoundly change the perception and reality of customer experience for passengers.
"To do this we need a terminal that meets the needs of the future in passenger flow and energy efficiency."
Sustainability is at the heart of the new plans.
The proposal has received an esteemed seal of approval and would enable LBA to meet its target of net zero carbon emissions from airport operations by 2023.
BREEAM - the world's leading sustainability assessment method for masterplanning projects, infrastructure and buildings - classified the scheme as "excellent".
Mr Rees said: "This proposal is not about growing beyond our predicted capacity; it is about meeting the same demand in a more efficient way, with a smaller environmental footprint; it is about creating a more modern building that can achieve operational excellence to give passengers the best experience; and it is about addressing the challenges we know our passengers face far too frequently and that cannot be overcome within our current building.
"We’re confident that our vision will deliver an airport building that is better placed to support our region’s economic growth and become one that Yorkshire can be proud of."
LBA received consent to expand its existing terminal in January 2019.
These plans are to be submitted in spring this year.
But they have already received the backing of both Aviation Minister, Paul Maynard, and director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, Henri Murison.
Mr Maynard said: "Leeds Bradford Airport is the global gateway to one of the most beautiful parts of the world, so it is vital passengers get the world class service this new terminal will provide."
The Aviation Minister also declared that the proposed plans would boost the local economy and secure thousands of jobs.
LBA currently employs 2,500 people and supporting over 7,200 jobs.
The latter figure could grow to 12,000, if passenger demand increases as expected.
A new terminal would be vital, were this to happen.
The scheme would also cement the airport and wider region's national and global importance.
Henri Murison, director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership said: "There has long been an understanding that regional airports form a vital part of providing connectivity to access global markets, attracting inward investment, and enabling a sharing of cultures.
"The plans to improve Leeds Bradford Airport are crucial and form a key part of the wider Northern Powerhouse and national aviation strategy, with environmental sustainability, including closer access to rail links, once built, critical.
"We must see investment like this to enhance our connectivity in order to drive our ambitions and rebalance the British economy, with Yorkshire as part of the wider North enabled to achieve transformational growth for the benefit of those living here and the next generation."
An extensive consultation process has begun.
Residents across Yorkshire are being invited to submit their views on the plans in due course.
The terminal is expected to be completed in early 2023, if plans are approved.
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