ABOVE: “We look forward to working with interested parties in the reopening of the airport,” explained Mayor Jones
Mayor of Doncaster Ros Jones and the City of Doncaster Council have given their unanimous support to the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport.
In an Extraordinary Cabinet meeting held on 20 September, Mayor Jones and her cabinet members ‘heard that the airport is a viable proposition and could be in profit within five years of reopening leading to increased prosperity for the city and the region’.
“Re-opening Doncaster Sheffield Airport is my number one priority,” she revealed, adding that “finding a solution that would mean so much to local communities and businesses and underline our ambition as one of the UK’s newest cities is crucial”.
After closing in November 2022, the airport sought to obtain an Article 4 Direction (safeguarding key structures and the runway from development by owners The Peel Group) in April 2023, which was granted in June. Believing the airport to be a viable proposition, the South Yorkshire Airport City (SYAC) programme has worked tirelessly to reopen the site and ‘develop a cluster of high economic activity on the site’.
Although Mayor Jones noted that “reopening the airport will not happen overnight of course,” she is hopeful that a lease can be secured. A 100+ year option is currently being explored and fifteen parties are understood to have expressed interest in operating the airport.
The development of aviation, retail and leisure opportunities on the site is estimated at having the potential to create 16,500 new jobs; creating a ‘catalyst for economic growth’. It would also restore international connectivity for Doncaster and South Yorkshire, currently the biggest City Region in Europe without an airport.
IMAGE: CITY OF DONCASTER COUNCIL
