Doncaster Sheffield Airport News

Doncaster-Sheffield Airport vote set to free £138m towards reopening

12.2.2024
Doncaster-Sheffield Airport is expected to take a major step towards reopening later this week, with a vote to release £138m of public money to fund it. The site closed in November 2022 after its owners said it was too costly.  South Yorkshire Combined Authority’s board is due to vote on Tuesday on releasing the cash, which is Doncaster’s share of devolution funds. Oliver Coppard, South Yorkshire’s Mayor, said it would “absolutely” be a good use of public money.  If members of the combined authority’s board vote to make the money available to City of Doncaster Council, the authority is expected to lease the airport site from owners Peel Group.  It would then appoint a specialist airport operator to run the business. York Aviation consultancy warned that re-opening the airport would mean Doncaster Council should “not expect any money back”.  “The market is focusing on bigger airports where airlines can make more money. To get airlines to use marginal airports like Doncaster, you have to pay them large sums to get them to operate. In those circumstances, it’s unlikely a smaller airport like Doncaster would be able to cover its operating costs.”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-68272394

Tory ministers block £30m cash that could help Labour mayor reopen Doncaster Sheffield airport

22 January, 2024

Conservative Ministers have blocked £30 million in funding that could help  Oliver Coppard, South Yorkshire’s Labour Metro Mayor, re-open Doncaster Sheffield airport.  Local Labour leaders have been working to revive the airport, which closed in November 2022.  They hoped to use a £30 million cash pot – originally earmarked in 2022 for a rail link to the airport before it closed – to help pay for building work at the site. But Tory Transport Secretary Mark Harper has refused to let them re-route the cash – which will likely go unspent within the 5 year time limit. Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) had domestic flights to London and low-cost airlines taking holidaymakers to European destinations, therefore taking money out of the local economy. When it closed, owners Peel Group said it was not “commercially viable” – despite Mr Coppard and Doncaster Council offering to underwrite operations for a year while a new airport operator could be found. Peel still own it.

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Doncaster Council gets £3.1 million to help it buy Doncaster Sheffield Airport

14 June, 2023

A £3.1 million financial package has been approved to help Doncaster Council prepare a Compulsory Purchase Order for Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA).   The money is coming from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) to help with the “complex” preparations. The SYMCA also agreed funding for Doncaster’s Place Plan, which includes the potential purchase of the airport.  Work will now continue on the potential purchase order as well as the negotiations on a potential lease.  There will be costs to reinstate the airport for operations and these costs will form a part of the business plan the council is preparing. The council said it has potential buyers and operators who are aware of this and willing to work with the authority.  The Mayor of Doncaster said: “Peel continues to be unwilling sellers; they have not gone to the open market or made any effort to sell the airport as an operational airport and working business.”

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Mayoral authority to vote on funding to support purchase of Doncaster Sheffield Airport

5 June, 2023

The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) is to decide whether to grant £3.1m to support the purchase of Doncaster Sheffield Airport. The authority’s board will meet later to discuss a request from Doncaster Council for funding for legal action to force owners Peel Group to sell the site. Peel closed the airport in November, saying it was not financially viable.  The council is considering pursuing a compulsory purchase order (CPO.)  In April, the local authority agreed to set aside £3.1m towards the costs of taking legal action. It said a CPO would only be needed if all other avenues, such as a negotiated sale or lease, were exhausted.   The council has asked SYMCA for financial support for “the costs of building a case”, a report to the SYMCA’s annual general meeting said.  The council believes its costs could reach up to £6.25m and has warned it may be unable pursue a CPO if funding is refused.

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Doncaster Council considers leasing closed Doncaster Sheffield Airport at considerable expense from Peel

4 April, 2023

Doncaster Council could lease Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA), which closed recently, from its owners, Peel L&P, under plans being considered. The airport was wound down by Peel in November 2022, citing the financial viability of the site.  At a meeting later this month, the council is set to discuss ring-fencing more than £3m for a compulsory purchase order to buy the airport. The council said Peel had recently offered a lease of the airport.  The council hopes to reopen the site, and provide jobs.  The order to potentially buy DSA from Peel is expected to initially cost up to £3.1m in legal costs. A report looking at what can be done to reopen the airport is set to be discussed at a cabinet meeting on 12 April. The  plan is for the area around the airport to contain a cluster of businesses to compliment the site. The Mayor of Doncaster said, rather over-optimistically, that the airport “has the potential to be the jewel in the crown of the Doncaster and South Yorkshire economy.” In fact, it will generally just provide holiday flights, taking local residents to spend their money abroad.

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Doncaster Sheffield airport to close after no ‘tangible proposals’ put forward

September 26, 2022

Doncaster Sheffield airport is to close later this year, its owners have confirmed, despite the offer of financial aid from public funds. This leaves hundreds of staff facing redundancy and comes days after Liz Truss said she had instructed ministers to protect the airport.  The airport’s owners, the Peel Group, which had extended a public consultation period by 10 days, said a strategic review had ended without any clear proposals on the airport site’s financial viability, or a potential buyer. They said the high costs of running the airport, whose flight numbers have fallen by more than half since 2019, meant it would start winding down operations from 31st October.  Peel is in consultation with staff about losing their jobs. Local politicians wanted the government to provide more public money for it, but at present the UK government has massive and increasing debts, partly from capping household and business energy costs, and no cash to spare.  Peel realises subsidising a permanently loss-making airport is not a sensible use of scarce public funds.  It has made big losses since the start of the pandemic, and there are other airports in the area (Leeds, Manchester) that travellers can easily use.

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Doncaster Sheffield Airport: Mayor wants more government help on plan

27.7.2022

The airport opened as an international commercial airport in 2005. The mayor of South Yorkshire has called on the government to change its “short-sighted hands-off” approach to helping secure the future of Doncaster Sheffield Airport.  Oliver Coppard said the government was invited to be part of a working group, but had “sadly declined”.  A consultation on the airport began recently after directors said it “may no longer be commercially viable”.  The government said it was in “close contact” with the airport.  Transport Secretary Grant Shapps had previously suggested South Yorkshire’s mayor could follow the example of Teesside Airport, which was taken over by the regional mayor in 2019.  He said public ownership for the airport should be considered.  Members of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, Doncaster Council and representatives from airport owners Peel Group met on Monday.  The future of the airport was put in doubt after directors said it had “never achieved the critical mass required to become profitable”, citing issues including Covid and the impact of airline Wizz Air cancelling flights.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-62308415

Construction starts on Robin Hood Airport ‘workpods’

09 November 2014

Contractor Henry Boot Construction has begun work on the new Doncaster International Business Park project at the airport. The firm has started construction after winning a contract to carry out the first phase of the development – known as Fountain Court Workpods – in a competitive tender. The 62,000 sq ft scheme, which is due for completion in May next year is expected to create over 130 new jobs, providing “environmentally sustainable” office accommodation for 134 staff in 41 ‘workpod’ office units of 1,450 sq ft and 1,600 sq ft in 2, 3, and 4-unit blocks. The project has attracted £1.5 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of Europe’s support for the region’s economic development through the Yorkshire and Humber ERDF programme 2007-13. Previously owned by the Ministry of Defence, the business park site was home to RAF Finningley’s parade ground and barracks before the air base was closed and redeveloped as Robin Hood Airport in 2005. In its new incarnation it will be home to “eco-friendly workpods” hoping to be energy efficient. The workpods will feature large windows, super-high insulation and roof lights equipping them to retain maximum heat and light from the sun.

http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/construction-starts-on-robin-hood-airport-workpods-1-6938820

Local survey says 90% would use Doncaster Robin Hood airport if more destinations were offered

January 29, 2014

The small airports in the vicinity of Manchester fear they are losing out, as more passengers prefer to fly from Manchester. The local press in Yorkshire reports that Manchester continues to be the first choice airport for most travellers from South Yorkshire, followed by East Midlands airport. More than 66% of South Yorkshire flyers say they use Manchester “often” or “very often” while 25% said the same of East Midlands, while around 15% used Heathrow on a similar basis. Just one in 14 said they used Robin Hood often or very often – a similar proportion to those using Leeds Bradford and fewer than use Stansted or Liverpool John Lennon Airports. However, 90% said they would like to use Robin Hood if it had flights to a wider range of destinations.Little regional airports hope travellers would prefer them to larger airports, particularly to destinations in Europe – because that cuts the time they spend in the airport. Only 10% were ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with the range of destinations served by Robin Hood airport. Around 30% said the problem was lack of accessibility and connectivity with poor public transport and an inadequate bus service. Road access improvements from the M18 are planned.

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Plans for new Doncaster Robin Hood Airport link road from M18

February 3, 2012    Plans for a new link road to Robin Hood Airport in South Yorkshire are to be unveiled at 3 public meetings. The road, including a route to Rossington and a bridge over the East Coast Main Line, will run for 2.5 miles (4km) from junction 3 of the M18 to the A638 near the airport. Doncaster Council received £18m funding from the Regional Growth Fund. Subject to planning permission being granted, work on the road could start in summer 2012 with it opening in early 2014. FoE says the new link road doesn’t go to the airport; instead there’s less than 1 mile of new dual carriageway from the M18, followed by a single carriageway extension of about another 2 miles, but then they’re back on the existing road network for the last 3+ miles. Clearly the airport will gain some advantage by this but not excessively.     Click here to view full story…

Keep the noise down

06.02.09 Council objects to Robin Hood Airport cargo flights

October 2008