More information about GALBA’s night flights fight!

Q: How has GALBA fought off LBA’s expansion plans so far?

A: GALBA was formed in late 2019 with the simple aim of blocking LBA’s massive expansion programme, which would have seen passenger numbers increase from four million to seven million people per year and thousands more flights.

At the point that we formed GALBA, we had no idea how long, complicated and all-consuming our fight would be. Since then, with the help of committed supporters like you, our small committee has achieved the following:

  • We succeeded in calling for a public inquiry into the original planning application – causing LBA to withdraw its application. We achieved this win by using every tactic available to us, including the very best legal advice, an enormous public petition and a letter-writing campaign.
  • We exposed hundreds of unlawful night flights at LBA over the past three summers. We were only able to do this because our dedicated and expert team literally logged every single arrival and departure at the airport – an extremely time-consuming and laborious process. Our hard work paid off because we were able to prove that the airport was not telling Leeds City Council the truth about night flight numbers and the Council was not independently monitoring them.
  • We persuaded Leeds City Council to turn down the airport’s attempts to rewrite the rules that limit the number of night flights. This was a huge blow to the airport and we believe it only came about because Leeds City Council was not able to argue with our relentless monitoring and the detailed legal arguments that we presented to them.
  • During this time we have kept our campaign at the top of the agenda. We’ve made politicians and the public take notice with a series of high profile demonstrations, letter-writing campaigns, petitions, fundraisers and media appearances.

GALBA has worked hard and effectively to block LBA’s previous efforts to change the night flight rules. We provided Leeds City Council with accurate, consistent monitoring that shows why LBA’s own reported night flight numbers cannot be trusted.  We have also produced a detailed outline of the legal case which proves that LBA cannot be allowed to fly more planes at night and pollute the environment. That’s why we need to be at the Public Inquiry – to defeat LBA again.

Q: How can I donate?

A: Just click here or hit the yellow button at the top of the home page!

Q: What is the connection between night flights and LBA expansion?

A: Increasing night time flying has always been central to the airport’s expansion plans. The reason is simple: unlimited night flying allows airlines to fly more of their planes round the clock, which means they can dramatically increase the number of flights at the airport. That’s what LBA’s appeal to the Planning Inspectors is all about.

Q: What is the connection between night flights and climate?

A: More night flights would mean more greenhouse gases from jet engines, polluting our fragile climate, when everyone knows we have to cut emissions as fast and as much as possible. The Climate Change Committee has repeatedly said that airports should not be allowed to expand because there are no large scale alternatives to the fossil fuels used to fly aircraft.

Q: Who will represent GALBA at the Public Inquiry?

A: The majority of GALBA’s work is done by a small group of volunteers who commit a vast amount of time and energy to blocking LBA’s expansion plans. But at every stage of our fight, we have relied heavily on the expert advice of the UK’s top environmental lawyers.

Our lawyers work for us at highly discounted rates but we still need to raise £30,000 to make sure our legal team has enough time and resources to prepare a cast-iron case.

At the inquiry we will be represented by Estelle Dehon KC, from Cornerstone Barristers, who has vast experience of planning law and the environment. This year, she won two very important cases – which prevented climate-wrecking oil and coal projects – and she won the Environment & Planning Barrister of the Year award for 2024.

Q: Will Leeds City Council be at the Public Inquiry as well?

A: Yes and we hope they will put up a strong argument against LBA. However, we need to make sure they do. Despite GALBA giving Leeds City Council conclusive evidence that LBA has broken the night flight rules for three years running, the Council has not taken effective enforcement action to put a stop to LBA’s unlawful behaviour.

What’s more, it was GALBA that provided the Council with the evidence and legal arguments that led them to reject LBA’s attempt to rewrite the night flight rules. We need to be at the Public Inquiry to make sure all of LBA’s arguments are demolished again.

Q: What is GALBA? 

A: You can find out more about GALBA and our campaign to stop LBA’s unlawful night flights on our website: www.galba.uk. If you’re not already a GALBA member, please join us – it’s free and only takes a couple of minutes: www.galba.uk/take-action/join-us/

Q: What will you do if you raise more money than you need or if the public inquiry is cancelled?

A: We will put any extra money towards the cost of any future campaigns to stop LBA from expanding.

 

Leeds Bradford Airport is big enough already