MORE than four million passengers travelled through Leeds Bradford Airport last year – a record number for the site.

The Yeadon airport welcomed 4,078,069 people through its doors during 2017.

It is the airport’s third successive year-on-year growth.

August was its busiest month, with 524,707 passengers flying.

The same month saw the airport record its busiest ever week, when more than 120,000 passengers flew out for the first time in its history.

Alicante was the favourite destination for travellers using LBA, with 328,133 people travelling to the Costa Blanca.

LBA also had 33,024 scheduled flights to more than 70 destinations last year.

The airport will welcome Thomas Cook back with services to Dalaman, Antalya and Palma for this summer.

The record passengers figures came during a year of change for LBA. The business appointed David Laws as its new chief executive in May.

He succeeded John Parkin, who retired but has continued as a non-executive director.

LBA was sold to an Australian investment fund in October last year.

AMP Capital has agreed to acquire 100 per cent of the airport.

The Sydney-based company, which has a 49 per cent stake in Newcastle Airport, bought LBA from Bridgepoint Advisers Limited on behalf of investors in its global infrastructure equity platform.

Mr Laws said: “We had a tremendous 2017 at LBA and these passenger figures show how the airport is going from strength-to-strength.

“There is a rising demand for air travel across Yorkshire and the surrounding regions, and our ambition is to meet that by offering the very best choice of destinations for both business and leisure passengers.

“Despite some disappointing setbacks, including the collapse of Monarch and a reduction in our BA service, we now have the widest choice of flights available and will continue our approach to secure additional routes to ensure the people of Yorkshire have an airport to be proud of and are connected to the world.”

Leeds North West MP Alex Sobel said: “It is wonderful to see LBA doing so well.”

Meanwhile, LBA will be rebranded ‘Yorkshire’s Airport’ under plans for the site.

An LBA spokesman confirmed that the airport will have a new logo bearing the slogan.