THE first phase of Leeds Bradford Airport’s redevelopment has now been completed.

The region’s largest airport, recently rebranded Leeds Bradford: Yorkshire’s Airport, has undergone a huge airside redevelopment as well as improvements to the terminal front.

Designed to offer more choice for customers, the multi-million pound project has seen the entire departure lounge transformed with additional seating plus a range of new shops, cafes, restaurants, bar areas and airport lounges.

The Yorkshire Lounge, The White Rose Suite and 1432 Club are three purpose built lounges with floor to ceiling runway views.

The new Cabin Bar, offering cocktails, food and craft beers, has been added and the Saltaire restaurant has also been completely refurbished. The Beer House, a dedicated area to cater for large groups, has replaced The Sports Bar.

There is also a new Starbucks and football fans will be able to take advantage of a new Leeds United retail shop.

Work on the terminal front is now complete, including an improved Meet & Greet car-park facility which allows passengers to collect their car right at the front of the terminal building.

Panels across the front of the building have also been fully decorated, with multi-coloured versions of Welcome to Yorkshire’s “Y” logo.

The airport’s official taxi service, Arrow Cars, has relocated, with a new office and taxi-lane now on the terminal forecourt and back in March, the airport opened its first off-site car park, Viking Airport Parking.

Chief Executive David Laws said: “We hope people will see this as the start of things to come for this airport. Our passengers’ journey begins right here at the airport and it’s vital we give them the best possible experience.

“We have listened to their feedback and as the development of LBA continues, we hope to keep improving the customer experience and ensure our passengers feel welcome.

“Work continues to improve our route offering for both business and leisure services while we are now working on our exciting plans for phase two of the terminal infrastructure to improve security and passenger flow. We hope to have more exciting announcements in the very near future.”

While the airport has made a raft of improvements, some passengers were left unimpressed at the wait to get through passport control on Sunday, when several flights landed at the same time, causing long queues outside the terminal building which one traveller said took around 45 to 50 minutes to get through.

In response, an airport spokesperson said: “We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to our passengers and thank them for their patience. Occasionally, flights can arrive off-schedule which can put strain on our terminal infrastructure.

"Our aim is to improve the all-round passenger experience including the flow of traffic and we are currently working on plans for the next phase of our terminal redevelopment, that will help to manage and improve the passenger journey both to and from aircraft.”