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Residents of Yorkshire, wishing to fly to New York, may no longer have far to travel if bosses at Leeds Bradford Airport succeed in their new campaign. Project America has recently been launched and seeks to attract an American airline to the airport, with the aim of introducing a daily flight to New York by 2015.

This would of course not only benefit travellers in the region but would also create 400 new jobs and inject £10 million into the local economy. Half a million passengers per year have to travel from Yorkshire to other airports to fly across the Atlantic, and Leeds Bradford Commercial Director, Tony Hallwood, believes that it is crucial to “capture this market for both leisure and business travellers”.

According to preparatory research, America is the most popular long haul destination which is not currently served by services in the region. With flights to New York hopefully on the horizon, passengers would be able to connect with flights to other popular destinations, such as Florida, California, Canada and the Caribbean.

Mr Hallwood added that there are 750 American businesses in Yorkshire and that with a decent transatlantic service available on the doorstep further growth and investment in the region would follow. It would also raise Leeds’ status as a “core city” and the profile of Yorkshire as a whole.

Bosses at Leeds Bradford are also looking into the reinstatement of a public transport link from York to the airport. The head of York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce said that in order to attract more tourists and businesses to the region all the “building blocks of transport” had to be in place.