THE MANAGING director of Leeds Bradford International Airport (LBIA) has announced he is to stand down after a decade in the top job.

Ed Anderson, who has presided over a period of unprecedented growth at the Yeadon airport, says he is leaving to focus on his other roles with Yorkshire Building Society and the Kelda Group plc but will stay on until a successor is appointed.

The announcement follows the £145.5 million sale of LBIA by the five local authorities (including Leeds and Bradford councils) that had owned it, to Bridgepoint Capital.

Mr Anderson, who was appointed as MD in 1997, said: "I have been the MD of the airport for ten years during which time passenger throughput has trebled from one million to three million passengers per year.

"There has been considerable investment in the terminal and other facilities, and low cost airline Jet2.com has become firmly established with its head office at LBIA.

"It is well known that, over the past four years, I have taken on non-executive roles and have recently been appointed Chair-man of the Yorkshire Building Society, in addition to being a non-executive director of Kelda Group plc.

"I now intend to spend more time pursuing those, and other, interests.

"I am immensely proud of what has been achieved at the airport by its staff over the past ten years.

"Bridgepoint, the new owner, has very exciting plans for the coming years which I fully support and which will be to the significant benefit of the regional economy."

Recently appointed Chair-man of LBIA, Sir Graham Hall, said: "I have enormous admiration for everything Ed has achieved at the airport.

"I fully understand his reasons for wishing to make a change at this point in his career, and I am pleased that he will stay on until a successor is appointed.

"The board will now appoint headhunters and it is anticipated that a new managing director will be appointed in the course of the next few months."