After Cononley, the river enters West Yorkshire where it passes through the former industrial areas of Keighley, Bingley, Saltaire and Shipley.

[7] From source (Joins River Ouse) The name of the Aire is first attested as Yr in a charter from 959 AD (as edited in Gray's Cartularium Saxonicum).

[13] The Romans forded the Aire by a paved way at Castleford on the road connecting Doncaster with York, which went north through the town near to the church.

[16] During the Great Frost of 1683–84 the river froze solid for a month in Leeds allowing a fair with an ox-roast and sports to take place, as described by Ralph Thoresby.

[17] Between the mid 19th century and the late 20th, the River Aire was devoid of fish life downstream of Shipley because of pollution.

[18] There are three thermal power stations alongside the River Aire east of Castleford: Ferrybridge C, Eggborough[19] and Drax.

[28] In the upper reaches of the river around Bell Busk and Malham, white-clawed crayfish are present in the tributaries.

Crown Point in Leeds is listed as the furthest west that can be reached by boat, though the limit is a headroom of 11 feet 11 inches (3.62 m).

[31] The weir that straddles Crown Point is a listed structure that was constructed in medieval times and first documented in 1636.

Canoeing can be carried out on most parts of the river, with the two clubs having navigable sections protected by weirs next to their landings.

[35] A 600m stretch of land, Knostrop Cut island, was removed allowing the river and canal to merge creating additional flood water capacity.

Work on phase two, designed to provide a one-in-100 year level of protection, will take place on an 8 km stretch upstream of Leeds station starting in late 2019.

If additional funding can be secured the flood plain near Calverley will be used for water storage providing a one-in-200 year level of protection.