LEEDS Bradford Airport’s new chief executive Davey Laws is a former football referee, who lists matches at Wembley and Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on his CV.

Last year he stepped down as chief executive at Newcastle Airport after 37 years’ service. The ex-fireman once took a pay cut to join the corporate team, such was his desire to climb the ladder, and was at the helm during numerous years of passenger growth.

Now Mr Laws wants to improve Leeds Bradford’s terminal and take passenger numbers to five million over the next three years.

That will come, he said, by revitalising the airport’s European and international services.

He has now secured an operator deal with Thomas Cook, which will provide new routes to Turkey, Tunisia, Cyprus and Spain’s Balearic Islands.

Mr Laws has also thrashed out an arrangement with Jet2 to deliver thousands of seats for winter holidays to Tenerife, with Ryanair and Tui agreeing to provide further services.

To help him on his quest, Mr Laws has recruited aviation development director Chris Sanders, with the duo well acquainted after years together at Newcastle Airport. “It’s about raising the awareness of the airport and there is a phenomenal catchment area here,” said Mr Laws. I knew it had potential but I didn’t know just how much. Leeds is the third biggest city in the UK and right next door you have got Bradford, a city in its own right too.”

He added: “We have reduced security times and we are going to change the culture here as well. We want people to be relaxed when they are going through the terminal and enjoy their time in the airport, and we are on the road to change that for the better.

“I want us to roll out a new identity and approach to how we treat customers and that will include better security processes with more lanes and scanners.” That terminal work, will, said Mr Laws, take at least two years but once finished it will give travellers a better experience.

“We want a terminal building that can cope with seven to eight million passengers a year,” he said.

“We fly to more than 70 destinations but there are lots of areas that are untapped. We are not doing any real long-haul flights, and we have to be selective but there is no reason why we cannot do a Pakistan flight or Middle East flight and Orlando.”

Speaking of the challenge ahead, Mr Laws said: “I would rather come to an airport that needs working on than one that is perceived to be finished.

“I love nothing more than getting my hands dirty and getting stuck in, and that is very much what I intend to do here.”