Air travel and the retail world are similar, as former Asda chief executive Andy Clarke (pictured) is finding as he settles into his role as chairman at Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA). Clarke was approached by LBAs owners AMP capital about an advisory role. After a few chats they asked if he would chair the airports board of directors. He said “My first thought was ‘what do I know about airports?’ ”. But they are hugely like retail.

“You have millions of people who will come through this building en route to somewhere exciting or a business trip and you want them to come through in as frictionless a way as possible and have a great experience. Really, that is what is what a supermarket is, you want to get in, get what you want, get out and feel that you have paid a reasonable price for it.” Clarke said.

Timing played a big part in the offer, too. Australian asset manager AMP is investing in a multimillion-pound extension of the airport’s terminal building. Plans for the development will support a projected increase from 4 to 7 million passengers by 2030.

The extension has been designed to significantly improve travel experiences for passengers, including larger immigration and baggage reclaim areas, better departure gate facilities and more shopping and food outlets. Two new terminal retail introductions are set to be announced shortly. Another comparison that Clarke makes with supermarkets is product lines. “Here the airport language is about passengers. I am saying that they are customers. Customers have a choice of where they want to visit. Whether it is a supermarket or an airport. The slight difference here is that the product availability is also a deciding factor. If we don’t fly somewhere, they don’t come here, but our objective is to show the airlines the importance of either new destinations or a greater frequency of flights to locations that they already fly to, to keep more of that client base here.

“For us to attract and retain them we have to make sure that the experience they are having here is better than somewhere else. Frankly, I don’t like flying from Manchester, I have to drive a long way to get there and I don’t think it’s an easy airport to get through.” However, critics will point out accessibility issues getting to and from LBA. A parkway rail station on the Harrogate line will be operational in 2022 with a road link construction to the airport starting in 2024. Continuing to expand with jet2 is important too. The carrier accounts for 60 percent of LBAs flights. But Clarke doesn’t feel there is an overdependence on it, and LBA is developing routes with KLM, while British airways remains a supporter of shuttles into Heathrow. LBA is also in conversations with airlines about long haul routes, Dubai is thought to be a target. Clarke hopes to leverage on the many contacts he has made in a 25-yer business career in Yorkshire, which included eight years at Morrison’s and two decades at Asda. “Having the support of local authorities is an advantage. We want more of the business community to back us when we put the right flights on. From a business perspective, if you are a Yorkshire company why wouldn’t you use this airport? Unless the business community supports business travel from Leeds Bradford Airport, we don’t get the flights” Clarke also wants to see the airport engage more with business and more visible. A replacement is being sought for retiring chief executive David Laws.

Clarke relishes the opportunity with this role: “if I can impart my experience for this to be better business and put something into Yorkshire that is more than the retail profits that my last business produced that is a good legacy to be proud of”