Doncaster-Sheffield Robin Hood Airport (DSA) is hoping that flight operations will resume at the airport in 2026 after a buyer was identified for the facility. The airport, which closed its doors to commercial flights in November 2022, is hoping that the news will give airlines time to plan for their own return to the gateway that saw 230 flights departing per month before its closure, with low-cost airline Wizz Air being its leading carrier.
According to a statement published by the City of Doncaster Council on November 4, 2024, details of the bidder will remain confidential until further into the purchase process and while commercial negotiations are ongoing. “Legal and contract confirmation stages are now underway and are expected to be completed before Christmas 2024,” the statement adds.
The council states that getting the airport reopened and ready for business will additionally require financial support and the public body will be asking the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) for the immediate release of a £3 million ($3.9 million) financial support package to fund the ongoing commercial negotiations and “help to prepare timely activity on the site.”
The revised business case for the airport is due to be heard by the SYMCA in mid-November 2024, which it is hoped will provide an endorsement of a referral to the Government’s Subsidy Advice Unit providing details of the proposed package of public support.
This support request is part of Doncaster’s £138 million ($180 million) share from the SYMCA allocation. This funding is subject to the Subsidy Advice Unit with a decision expected in early January 2025, advises the council.
“Reopening our airport is my number one priority and I am delighted to announce that we have reached the major milestone of identifying the bidder to help us reopen our beloved airport,” said Mayor Ros Jones of City of Doncaster Council. “This current step in the reopening process is certainly great news.”
“I appreciate that people will want to know who the successful bidder is but at this time we must continue to have discussions with them on a strictly confidential basis. I will of course share who has been appointed when I can. I know our residents and businesses are keen for the airport to reopen and would want that to happen yesterday but please rest assured we are working as hard as possible to get the airport reopened with the aim of being operational by Spring 2026,” he added.
“Our proposition is not just an airport but will be a hub for sustainable aviation-related industry. South Yorkshire Airport City – the program to reopen the airport – has incredible potential, to bring jobs and prosperity to Doncaster and the wider South Yorkshire region,” Jones concluded.
The business case highlights the significant opportunity around the re-establishment of aviation within the region including creating more than 5,000 direct jobs and 6,500 indirect jobs and could boost the economy by £6.6 billion ($8.6 billion) when fully operational. An update is also being awaited by the council on the reinstatement of airspace, which is currently under consideration by the Civil Aviation Authority.
Between January 2019 and December 2022, the airport had 11,085 scheduled one-way flights, with two million seats on offer. On average, airlines offered 230.9 flights and 41,807 seats per month during the three-year period up until the end of December when all flights had ceased.