KNOCK AIRPORT HAS announced a new route to the UK with the airline Flybe to operate a flight to Leeds-Bradford from March.

The airport, officially known as Ireland West Airport, at Knock in Co Mayo has announced that Flybe will operate a three-times-a-week service to Leeds-Bradford in Yorkshire in the north of England from 25 March.

The service will operate on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday and will be the third addition to Flybe’s route network at the airport following the introduction of services to Edinburgh and Manchester last year.

“This brings the number of destinations served in the UK to ten and is another significant step in the Airport’s development as we continue to provide an ever-widening choice of great value, direct and convenient flights to our customers both in Ireland and in the UK,” Knock Airport’s MD Joe Gilmore said.

The airport recently revealed that 2011 had been its busiest year since it began operating in 1986. Traffic increased by 65,000 passengers – 11 per cent – last year on 2010′s figures to 654,500 passengers in total.