Airport boss quits after nine years at the helm
ONE OF the senior directors at Leeds Bradford Airport has unexpectedly quit after nine years in charge.
Tony Hallwood announced yesterday that he will be stepping down from his role as the airport’s aviation development director at the end of the month.
He confirmed that he will be moving back to his family in Manchester and is “looking forward to taking an active role” in his wife’s business.
He added: “I am immensely proud of my achievements at LBA in driving record passenger growth from 2.6 to 3.6m and delivering a string of major route development successes for the Leeds City Region and Yorkshire.
“Securing new based capacity from Ryanair and Monarch, the reintroduction of BA and Aer Lingus alongside Jet2.com’s and Flybe’s growth has helped ensure the continued success of LBA.
“During my time at the airport I have also enjoyed developing and strengthening relationships through my PR role across the media and regional stakeholders.
“I would like to thank you personally for your support during my time at LBA and I look forward to keeping in touch with you. My personal contact details are given below.
“In the meantime, I look forward to seeing the ongoing success of LBA under David Laws’ leadership and I wish the airport team ‘all the best’ for the future.”
Prior to his departure Mr Hallwood and his team published a document which outlined how the airport will be developed to meet the needs of a projected 7.1m passengers. Route to 2030 sets out plans for the next 13 years which include support for an airport Parkway station on the Harrogate-Leeds railway line as well as a brand new road link between the A658 and A65 with a spur to the airport.
Mr Hallwood also lent his backing to plans from Heathrow Airport bosses to lobby the Government for domestic flights to be ring-fenced post-Brexit once the nation exits the European Union and is no longer subject to its competition laws.
In the last 12 months, a record 3.6m passengers have flown through the airport. Jet2.com and Monarch all have large bases at the site.