No it relies on the assumption that residents of the region will automatically flow to an airport that is the quickest and easiest to get to. Yes other factors such as range of services and price of flights do come into the equation but ease and speed of getting to an airport is a 'set in stone' principle across the globe. Leeds East airport (which already exists by the way-biz jets are landing) geographically fits these parameters for the vast majority of the Yorkshire and Humber population (link road being a proviso).
You’re falling into the trap of regarding the county of Yorkshire as a homogeneous catchment area for an airport at Church Fenton. It doesn’t work like that. Just because it’s in existence as a business jet airport doesn’t mean it will become a regional civil airport.
LBA and DSA are in the wrong locations and are fighting against one another. That is why a Belfast service was not viable from both airports and hence passengers from Doncaster for example head to EMA now. This would not happen if there was a service airport at Leeds East as Doncaster is 15 minutes away by ECML train. Yes there is no station on the ECML at Leeds East at present but there is the potential and that is the key. Is LBA on the ECML? Ok HS3 does not exist but the Transpennine express does. A Leeds to Church Fenton none stopping train would take about 17 minutes.
The same arguments could be made for Northolt which has good potential surface communications and just needs an airport station. There is no chance of that airport becoming a replacement for Heathrow or a county airport for Middlesex, despite having business/general aviation (and an RAF presence). Life simply isn’t like that.
HS2 (if it is built) does not just go to Leeds it joins the ECML/Transpennine express at Leeds East Airport. There are trains even now from Sheffield and Hull that stop at Church Fenton train station. There is massive potential as regards train connections especially to Leeds East airport. All that will stop this project for the whole North East are the politicians who have already spent billions in the north west.
All that’s stopping Church Fenton is (apologies for being repetitive):
(1) it is unviable because it cannot survive alongside existing airports;
(2) a business case cannot be made as existing airports cannot be forced to close;
(3) there is not enough demand for an additional airport in Leeds;
(4) pax and carriers want to be elsewhere i.e. Yeadon;
(5) it will never be built and may be seen as a vanity project.