LEEDS Bradford Airport's plans to introduce new flight routes have been rejected by the Civil Aviation Authority.

The decision has delighted campaigners who are concerned about noise pollution from aircraft and the impact on quality of life.

The CAA announced its decision today on the airport's airspace change proposal.

In an email to Shipley MP Philip Davies it says it has concluded that Leeds Bradford Airport’s consultation had failed to meet its consultation requirements in three way.

It says: "The justifications for the changes were presented ambiguously and were difficult to comprehend.

"The Operators and Owners of all classes of aircraft who participated in the consultation did not have their concerns, which were raised in the consultation process, conscientiously considered and mitigated adequately."

"Consultations should be informative and provide enough information for those participating to understand the issues. The diagrams presented in some of the submitted documents do not accurately portray the impact of the change to the communities involved."

Wharfedale councillor Jackie Whiteley said she was delighted and relieved that the strategy had been defeated.

Local people have fought a campaign against disturbance from flights over Burley and Menston.

Cllr Whiteley stressed: "We are not against increased flights - that is not what this has been about. It is just about asking them to be reasonable and fly in-between the two villages if possible."

Leeds Bradford Airport was proposing to introduce new flight routes as part of the national Airspace Change Programme. The most important of these for Burley-in-Wharfedale was the western departure route between Burley and Menston.

In 2017 the airport began consultations about the changes which it said would allow aircraft to achieve greater height more quickly, reducing disruption to those under the flight paths.

It said by using more efficient arrival routes aircraft would fly fewer miles.The proposed airspace change and introduction of updated departure routes would result in aircraft flying closer to, or over, some new areas, including Burley Woodhead. But the overall number of locations overflown would reduce.