CAMPAIGNERS claim Leeds Bradford Airport has broken night flight rules for the third year in a row - but the airport insists it is operating 'in accordance with our interpretation of the planning conditions.'

The Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport (GALBA) says their monitoring shows that there were 820 more flights at LBA than permitted by the rules between March 31 and October 27 this year.

GALBA has now made a formal complaint to Leeds City Council and written to all Leeds councillors.

But a spokesperson for the airport pointed out that a Public Inquiry will take place on March 11, 2025, to allow an " informed decision" to be made by an independent third party on the "correct legal interpretation" of existing planning conditions on night flights.

Nick Hodgkinson, chair of GALBA, said: “These rules exist to protect public health.

“For the last two years, we have alerted Leeds City Council to the airport’s unlawful behaviour and in 2022, the Council issued a ‘breach of condition notice’. But they did nothing about LBA breaking the rules in 2023.”

Mr Hodgkinson said it would “make a mockery” of Leeds City Council if the authority did nothing about the claimed breaches.

A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said they were awaiting the data from the airport for the summer season weeks and added: “This complex technical information will require rigorous analysis by council officers before the airport’s night flight numbers for the summer season as a whole can be calculated.

“The monitoring process therefore remains live and ongoing and, as such, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”

According to GALBA, to protect the health of people living under the flight path, planning conditions place strict limits on the number of take-offs and landings between 11pm and 7am. LBA’s cap for the 2024 summer season (corresponding to British Summer Time) was 2,920. GALBA monitored the number of night flights over this year’s summer season and claimed that LBA had exceeded the limit by mid-September.

Residents living under the flight paths to and from the airport say the airport “disrespects” the feelings of local people.

One of them is Nicky Ford, a GALBA member, who said: “Night time flying is bad news for anyone living under the flight path. I’ve lived under the flight path for many years and it’s got a lot worse recently.”

A Leeds Bradford Airport spokesperson said: “As previously stated, on 13 September 2024, we submitted the appeals with the Planning Inspectorate against the non-determination and refusal by Leeds City Council (LCC) of LBA’s CLEUD (Certificate of Lawfulness of Existing Use or Development) applications made in December 2023.

“After a much extended decision-making period and significant level of public interest, we requested a public inquiry which we hope will allow an informed decision to be made by an independent third party on the correct legal interpretation of the existing planning conditions governing the operation of night flights at LBA.

“It has now been confirmed an inquiry will take place on 11 March 2025.

“We have been consistent that we have and will continue to operate in accordance with our interpretation of the planning conditions until the conclusion of that process.

“As we have previously stated, the purpose of the existing planning consent when granted was to allow night flights but minimise the potential for increased noise of those flights on local communities. Our interpretation of the conditions stays true to this purpose and would encourage airlines to deploy the latest generation of aircraft which are quieter and more efficient.”