LEEDS 5

[whoshotjimmi]

Firstly, may I apologise for my poor formatting! Just trying to get my head around it.

Easyflyer83 - I agree with everything you have said. I do not believe, nor do I think anyone believes that LBA will ever compete with Manchester. I am also aware of the highly aggressive negotiating tactics (particularly those of ryanair) employed by LCC's. What I am talking about here is reaching full potential. As I mentioned, growth is very much possible within the parameters that the airport currently operates. But full potential will require a whole host of changes and improvements, chief among which is the accessability of the field.

A site next to the M1 with a rail link would help in terms of becoming a viable option to many people in so far as the current site is not. Since that will never happen, the accessability of the existing airport is important in attracting new customers and potentially stealing one or two from the noisy neighbours. Whilst I believe the limit of long haul from LBA would be exactly as you describe, I don't believe it is acheivable with the current set up.

My firm belief is that, in the short to medium term at least, LBA should be looking to expand in the short to medium haul sector. Perhaps the likes of Ryanair would do a better job with a Madrid rotation, maybe a FlyBe type operation with a Q400 would make a better hash of a Copenhagen - I don't know, I am just speculating - but I feel this is where the majority of growth, if any, is likely to be. There is no doubt that a small long haul operation would be welcomed at LBA and, with the right management, could be made a success. But the aforementioned issue would have to be dealt with.

Just for the record, the economy of the North West has grown around the success of Manchester airport. With economical growth, the airport has been able to expand further. Manchester airport has been a huge success for many, many years now having done all the right things to achieve that success. North Western regeneration is due, at least in part, to this success. When businesses are looking for alternatives to London, the benefits of other cities are looked at and one such benefit is an airport that has decent links to many parts of the world.