UK. It is a base for Jet2.com, which has its headquarters at the airport. History Opening and early operations What became Leeds Bradford Airport was built in the late 1920s and early 1930s on 60 acres of grassland next to the old Bradford to Harrogate road. On 17 October 1931, the airport, which was interchangeably known as Leeds and Bradford Municipal Aerodrome or Yeadon Aerodrome in its early years, was officially opened. Initially, the airport was operated by the Yorkshire Aeroplane Club on behalf of Leeds and Bradford Corporations. Its early operations were typified by training and general aviation flights. In 1935, the aerodrome was expanded by ; the first scheduled flights commenced on 8 April 1935 with a service by North Eastern Airways from London (Heston Aerodrome) to Newcastle upon Tyne (Cramlington). The service was extended to Edinburgh (Turnhouse). In June 1935, Blackpool and West Coast Air Services launched a service to the Isle of Man. By 1936, the London/Yeadon/Newcastle/Edinburgh service was flying three times a week and also stopped at Doncaster and continued to Aberdeen (Dyce). Seasonal flights between Yeadon and Liverpool commenced during the 1930s. To accommodate the expanding passenger numbers, work commenced on a terminal building but progress was halted after a single wing had been completed. During this time, the German zeppelin LZ 129 Hindenburg overflew the aerodrome and while the flight was claimed to be for publicity purposes, it was later found to have been engaged in espionage. Wartime use At the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, all civil aviation operations were halted. The aircraft manufacturer Avro constructed a shadow factory to the north of the aerodrome to manufacture military aircraft. The factory was connected to the aerodrome by a taxiway from where the aircraft made their way to make their maiden flights. The Avro factory was camouflaged, its roof disguised as a field with dummy cattle and agricultural buildings so that from the air it resembled the surrounding fields. Large numbers of houses were constructed nearby to house the workforce. The factory, which commenced production in 1941, was reportedly the largest free-standing structure in Europe at the time. To better accommodate the large military aircraft, improvements were made to the aerodrome including two runways, more taxiways and extra hangarage enabling Yeadon to become an important site for military test flying. About 5,515 aircraft were produced at Yeadon of the following