An £8million proposal to build an executive aviation centre at booming Leeds Bradford International Airp-ort has been altered because aircraft were unable to fit inside.

The approval of the plan comes the same week that a low-cost airline announced two new destinations from the Yeadon airport and villagers in Menston spoke out against 'off-track' aeroplanes making their lives a noisy misery.

Leeds City Council planners passed the amended proposals to build one large hangar instead of two hangers at the airport when they met on Tuesday.

The innovative plans had to go back to planners after it was discovered the two proposed hangars would not be large enough to accommodate some aircraft.

The original plan was to develop two hangars providing more than 6,000 square metres of space.

One hangar was to accommodate Multiflights new Boeing Business Jets and the other was to be used for the maintenance of fixed wing aircraft, helicopters and aircraft parking.

A planning officer said: "Because of the changes to services and aircraft types, including the Boeing 737 800, which are to be operated from the south side development there is a requirement to merge the two hang-ars into one and raise the height slightly to provide sufficient clearance.

"The revised hangar is intended to be used for the same purpose as the original two hanger but will provide better accommodation and greater flexibility of parking 737 and 757 aeroplanes at various positions on the new apron."

Multiflight Limited is funding the new aviation centre and aircraft maintenance facility in partnership with the airport.

The new hangar will be located at the south side, where light aircraft and flying clubs are situated.

The work, which has already commenced, will include a new taxiway, apron, new headquarters and offices for Multiflight and improvements to existing facilities. The single hangar will occupy the same location and will occupy nearly 7,000 square metres, but it will be 1.8 metres higher than the previous proposal.

The development is not close to housing and officers had no concerns about the possibility of adverse noise created from the activity of the aircraft.

The development will create new jobs and the existing Yorkshire Light Aircraft Hangar is due to be refurbished, and a covered link will be built to connect it with Multiflight's new headquarters.

A new business executive aviation terminal will be built offering first class facilities for business and general aviation. It will offer a VIP corporate lounge where passengers can be collected from or wait for flights.

No one objected to the plans.

Meanwhile, people living in Menston say 'excessive noise' caused by flights has again become a problem, after being reduced for a number of years.

The say the problem is down to pilots deviating from their allotted flight track over the valley, and instead flying directly over homes in the village.

But airport chiefs say the majority of flights are on course, although some have change course slightly to avoid cloud cover.

They have now handed out a phone number for residents to report especially loud aircraft.

Ilkley parish councillor, Audrey Brand, who lives in the village, said the problem goes back around ten years.

She and retiring parish councillor Joyce Galling have measured noise levels in the village over the years, and spoken to bosses at the airport about the matter.

Coun Brand said they were told the airliners were not sticking to their correct flight track, and were passing over the village.

"They should go through the valley between Burley and Menston," she said.

The noise had greatly decreased, said Coun Brand, but again became a problem around 18 months ago. Since then villagers have begun to hear the aircraft once more, especially as the number of peak-season holiday flights increases.

"They are excessively loud - so much so that you go into the garden to see where it is flying."

Coun Brand says the noise is mainly caused by aircraft taking off from the airport.

Operations director at Leeds Bradford Airport, Rob Lund, said: "There does seem to be a concern with aircraft that are flying off-track. In our view, there are few off-track, and we are doing as much as we can to prevent this."

Mr Lund says 90 per cent of the flights are on course, but occasionally some have to deviate.

But he said villagers would be able to hear planes as Menston is so close to the airport. Mr Lund said airport bosses were always happy to hear the views of villagers on the issue.

"We will continue to work with people in Menston," he said.

l Airport forum meeting - page 7.