History

• Started as an aerodrome in 1931.
  
• Had expanded by 1935 and scheduled flights began to Newcastle, Blackpool, Edinburgh and the Isle of Man.
  
• In 1939, scheduled flights were stopped and the airport developed so that it could be used as a test ground for new military aeroplanes during the war.
  
• Civil flights recommenced in 1947.
  
• By 1955, several more European destinations had been added to the airport's scheduled flights.
  
• A new runway was opened in 1965, but in the same year the terminal building was destroyed in a fire.
  
• The new terminal was opened in 1968, and in 1976 the first package holiday flight left Leeds Bradford.
  
• Improvements to the runway and terminal facilities were begun in 1982, with the hope of turning the airport into a category B regional airport. This work was completed in 1985.
  
• The airport was made a company in 1987, with shares distributed between the West Yorkshire metropolitan councils.
  
• Time restrictions were relaxed in 1994, meaning that the airport could operate flights throughout the night as well as during daytime hours.