Leeds Bradford Airport is withdrawing its planning application for a replacement terminal after long delays with the Government.

The much-contested plan for a new terminal building has been called in by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the airport says it is “not prepared to commit a further uncapped sum over an indefinite timeframe into a public inquiry process when their focus needs to be on modernising the airport for the future”.

It says it will instead focus on plans to improve the current terminal that were approved locally in 2019, allowing it to achieve environmental targets more quickly.

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Vincent Hodder, CEO of Leeds Bradford Airport, said: “It is with regret that we have made the decision to withdraw LBA’s application for the development of a new replacement terminal.

“As the travel and aviation industry continues to recover from the impacts of the pandemic, LBA needs to be able to respond to rapidly increasing demand within the next few years.

“I would like to thank everyone who has supported us in the planning process, from the general public to the business community and councils across Yorkshire. Whilst this is a setback for our airport and region, we remain committed to investing in LBA to be an outstanding, decarbonised, modern airport for the future.”

The building of a new terminal had received extensive business backing but had been opposed by many environmental groups.

Further details of the plans to refurbish the current terminal will be released in the coming months.