Leeds Bradford airport urges passengers arrive three hours before take off

Leeds Bradford is the latest airport to issue a caution over delays as its expects 37,000 passengers over the Easter weekend.

Passengers are being recommended to arrive three hours prior to departure to ensure enough time to move through security – an hour more than Bristol airport suggested.

While the level is only 76% of pre-pandemic volumes, the Yorkshire airport warned that some delays can be expected at peak times on some days.

“This disruption is not as severe as that which other UK airports are currently experiencing but can unfortunately be unpredictable,” Leeds Bradford airport (LBA) said.

“Due to recent changes in Home Office accreditation for airport staff, uncertainty around when pandemic travel restrictions were due to ease and ongoing staffing disruption due to covid-19 absences, a longer lead time for recruiting staff is being experienced across the aviation industry.”

Chief executive Vincent Hodder said: “The return of some normality to international travel after the past two years is very welcome news.

“However, we are currently contending with industry-wide issues in recruitment and staffing that are leading to longer times for passengers to move through the airport than usual. 

“Although the disruption at LBA is not as severe as other airports, it is not up to our high standards.

“We would like to apologise to anyone who has experienced excessive queuing in recent weeks and ask for your continued patience as we do everything that we can to ensure a smooth journey for passengers. 

“More staff are joining our team every week, so we do feel confident that the processes are in place to fix current issues.”