Passengers at Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) are calling on the airport to reinstate a dedicated smoking area, after a summer of terminal fire alarms and evacuations that many travellers blame on people lighting up indoors. The airport has now responded — defending its fire procedures and denying that the most recent alarm was smoking-related — without giving any indication that a smoking area is coming back.
What Happened
On August 9, 2026, a fire alarm forced passengers out of the LBA terminal, with travellers describing flights circling the airport and a KLM aircraft held on the apron while the building was cleared. Passenger posts in the public Facebook group “Leeds Bradford Airport Spotters (LBA)” reported the terminal evacuated to the tarmac at 16:40, and described the episode as a repeat of earlier alarms this summer.
A spokesperson for Leeds Bradford Airport said: “The most recent evacuation of the terminal was a false alarm and the incident had minimal impact on our operations, with passengers making their way back into the terminal in a timely manner. This false alarm was not caused by smoking in the terminal. We maintain a strict fire strategy at LBA with the safety of our passengers, employees and business partners being our number one priority.”
The airport did not say what triggered the alarm.
Passengers Want the Smoking Area Back
Travellers in the group argue that covert smoking inside the terminal — in toilets and quiet corners — keeps setting off alarms, and that giving smokers a legitimate place to go, ideally after security, would stop the disruption at its source.
One member, Julie Smith, wrote: “Just maybe the owners of the airport, if alleged is true as has happened many times previously, will put some kind of smoking area back, those who smoke in toilets do not care it appears, the carnage their selfishness causes.” Jean Harrison put it more simply: “Just put the smoke room back. And I’m a non-smoker.”
Others disagreed, arguing the airport should not spend money on a facility when nicotine alternatives exist for the duration of a flight. The debate — smokers’ facilities as a pragmatic fix for rule-breaking — is the same one that pushed Dublin Airport to announce a new terminal smoking area in 2026 after years of passenger requests.
Where You Can Smoke at Leeds Bradford Airport Today
Smokers flying from LBA can use the designated smoking area outside the main terminal entrance, before security — light up there before you check in or clear the checkpoint, and stand clear of the doors. There is currently nothing airside: once you pass security, the next legitimate cigarette is after you land, so a layover smoke means exiting and re-clearing security with time in hand.
Inside the terminal, smoking and vaping are prohibited everywhere — in the departure lounge, the toilets, on walkways and in boarding areas — and the airport’s own guidance warns that anyone found smoking or vaping in a non-smoking area may be denied travel. The airport’s byelaws go further: they ban smoking and e-cigarettes in every enclosed place at the airport and anywhere not specifically designated for it, and lighting up where a sign prohibits it is an offence carrying a fine of up to £2,500 on summary conviction.
Will a Smoking Area Return?
Nothing in the airport’s statement suggests a change of policy — it addressed the fire alarm, denied the smoking connection, and stopped there. LBA is far from alone in this setup: most UK airports moved smoking to landside shelters after England’s enclosed-public-places smoking ban, and calls to restore airside facilities resurface wherever evacuation-by-fire-alarm becomes a pattern. We will update this article if the airport announces any change.
Update (September 2026): Nothing has changed at LBA. The airport’s own guidance still reads “Smoking and vaping is only permitted outside the main terminal entrance” and “There are no smoking areas beyond security, we advise passengers to smoke or vape before passing through security.” The designated area outside the main entrance remains the only place to light up.
For the full picture of smoking rules at UK airports — including every UK airport we cover and their smoking setups — see our United Kingdom airport smoking guide. Vapers should also know about the UK disposable-vape ban in force since June 2025, and anyone connecting through LBA can plan around re-screening with our smoking during layovers guide.
Sources: Examiner Live / YorkshireLive, August 18, 2026; Leeds Bradford Airport — At the Airport