Unmanned drones will soon be spotted in the skies above Leeds Bradford Airport as part of radical new plans at the Yeadon base.
Blueprints have been unveiled today (Wednesday) for a brand new Urban-Air Port. The facility, which will be built near the existing runway and terminal, will become one of the first urban airports of its kind anywhere in the world.
The compact Urban-Air Port will soon become a base for unmanned logistics drones to deliver goods across the Leeds City Region. This covers areas as far afield as Barnsley, Todmorden, Skipton, Ripon and York.
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The Urban-Air Port will be completely off-grid and powered by hydrogen. Meanwhile, the drones will be charged and loaded at the base in a safe and secure environment.
There are even plans to roll out a 'vertiport' for passenger air taxis in the near future. A similar scheme is being unveiled in Coventry next month.
Charles Johnson, head of planning development at Leeds Bradford Airport, said: “This collaboration signifies an exciting development for the airport and highlights the ability of Yorkshire to lead on innovative infrastructure solutions.
"It’s fantastic to see how aviation and its partner industries are developing new technologies that will be essential to our future. I am looking forward to seeing how the project develops, as we continue to act as a key hub for connectivity in the UK.
Ricky Sandhu, Urban-Air Port’s founder and executive chairman, added: “In putting this agreement with LBA in place, we are getting ahead of the curve for the next wave of logistics and infrastructure.
"We are looking forward to developing an ultra-compact, rapidly deployable, multi-functional operations hub with facilities for vehicles providing aircraft command and control, charging/refuelling, cargo, and passenger loading. This will result in a future with less vehicles on our road and more sustainable cities."
The latest announcement comes following Leeds Bradford Airport's admission that a new £150 million state-of-the-art passenger terminal will no longer be built. The plans were approved last year by Leeds City Council, but the government has been scrutinising them for months, leading to major delays.
It prompted the airport to pull the plug on the multi-million project and instead move ahead with plans to simply upgrade the existing terminal. Airport bosses said they are not prepared to "commit a further uncapped sum over an indefinite time-frame into a public inquiry process" and blamed "excessive" government delays.
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