The costs, planning and timescale for the sort of airport that Leeds Approach dreams of would make Church Fenton a non-starter today, but even if they didn't is there any evidence at all that airlines would switch from LBA to Church Fenton, or that new operators would prefer to operate from Church Fenton? I can't see it myself. As the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink. For all it's disadvantages, LBA is now the only game in town.
Identical debate as Heathrow v. Boris, with the same arguments rehearsed ad nauseum (yes, am partly to blame!) on the "new Thames airport for London" thread.
http://www.pprune.org/airlines-airpo...rt-london.html
I think L A is failing to grasp how airlines work
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Also failing to grasp how market economics work and how the airport sector operates when it's not publicly owned. This is not the USA.
Highly recommend a read of the above-mentioned "new Thames airport for London" thread.
Never underestimate the importance of incumbency!