easyJet to End All Leeds Bradford Airport Flights

The budget airline will stop flying from LBA after 5 January 2027, ending routes to six European cities, though Jet2 and Ryanair remain the airport’s anchor carriers

easyJet is to end all its flights from Leeds Bradford Airport, in a blow to the region’s air connectivity. The budget airline confirmed it will stop operating from Leeds Bradford Airport after 5 January 2027, following a review of its routes, bringing to a close a presence at the Yeadon hub that began in 2010. It currently flies from the airport to six European destinations. Passengers with bookings beyond the cut-off date are being offered a full refund or a free transfer to flights from another airport. The airline said it was sorry for the inconvenience.

Why This Matters For Leeds

Air connectivity is a genuine economic asset, so losing a carrier is a setback for a region that trades internationally. Direct routes matter to Leeds businesses for meetings, clients and recruitment, and to the visitors and inbound investment they help attract. The loss of choice and competition on European routes may also nudge fares upward. It is not a fatal blow, Jet2 and Ryanair remain based at the airport, but it is a reminder that regional connectivity cannot be taken for granted, and puts renewed weight on efforts to strengthen the airport and its transport links.

What easyJet’s Leeds Bradford Airport Exit Means

easyJet currently runs a limited number of weekly services from the airport to Belfast, Paris, Barcelona, Malaga, Palma and Geneva, with the Geneva route already withdrawn from sale. According to aviation analysts tracking the schedule, the final Malaga and Palma flights are due around 1 November 2026, with the last Paris, Barcelona and Belfast services in early January. The airline stressed that its focus was on routes proving most popular with customers, and said it valued its relationship with the airport while keeping its network under review. For travellers, the immediate practical points are the refund-or-transfer offer and the need to check alternative carriers: several of the affected destinations are also served from Leeds Bradford by other airlines, though not all on the same routes. The airport had not issued a detailed response as the news broke.

“Following a review of our routes from Leeds Bradford Airport, we have made the decision to no longer operate flights from the airport after 5 January.”

— easyJet spokesperson

A Wider Retreat, and a Resilient Airport

The decision comes at a difficult moment for the airline. It lands roughly two weeks after easyJet agreed a £5.7bn takeover by private equity firm Apollo, and amid reports of a sharp fall in profits driven by higher jet fuel costs and softer bookings. Withdrawing a smaller, less profitable regional operation fits that cost-focused backdrop. For Leeds, easyJet was a secondary player at the airport, whose base carriers are Jet2, headquartered on site and Ryanair. Leeds Bradford handled more than four million passengers in 2024 and remains among the UK’s busier regional airports. The easyJet exit is a real loss of choice rather than a threat to the airport’s future, but it adds urgency to long-running debates about investment in the terminal and the road and rail links that serve it.