Doncaster Sheffield Airport is set to welcome passengers again, after a £160m (US$216m) funding package was approved by South Yorkshire’s mayor, Oliver Coppard, and council leaders.
All five board members of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) voted unanimously in favor of the funding, paving the way for the airport’s reopening.
Doncaster Sheffield Airport closed in November 2022, leaving South Yorkshire one of the UK’s largest city regions without an international aviation presence.
Since its closure, the mayors of South Yorkshire and Doncaster, local authorities and central government have worked to return aviation to the region through a reopened airport with a viable future.
Coppard said, “We’re reopening DSA. Today, we’ve made a historic decision: to invest in the plans to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport, and to create a sustainable aviation and advanced manufacturing hub at Gateway East.
“The plan we have backed today is about more than holiday flights or passenger numbers. It’s a long-term commitment to drive jobs, growth and opportunities in sustainable aviation, advanced manufacturing, freight and even the defense sector, here in South Yorkshire.”
Mayor of City of Doncaster Council, Ros Jones, added, “This project is not simply to reopen our airport for passenger flights; it’s about the wider economic impacts, creating a hub for aviation-related industry, delivering jobs and opportunities for our residents and putting Doncaster back on the map.”
According to SYMCA, significant passenger operations are not likely to commence until summer 2028, although there is potential for limited passenger activity and cargo from winter 2027.
In related news, UK Aviation Minister Mike Kane has announced the 17 UK companies that will share the £63m (US$85m) Advanced Fuels Fund to accelerate the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and support 1,400 jobs in the UK