City of Doncaster Council’s Cabinet back plans to reopen their local airport

Following a lengthy battle from the local community to rescue the local airport, Mayor of Doncaster Ros Jones and her Cabinet at City of Doncaster Council (CDC) have today given their unanimous support to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

CDC’s Cabinet has supported a wide range of work that has been underway during the last year and critically into 2023, to find a solution to reopening the site which could unlock millions of pounds worth of investment and jobs.

Mayor Ros 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.

South Yorkshire Airport City (SYAC) is the name of the programme to reopen the airport which closed last year and to develop a cluster of high value economic activity on the site including employment, retail and leisure as well as returning planes to the sky.

“Re-opening Doncaster Sheffield Airport is my number one priority,” said Mayor Ros Jones, “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.

“We are hopeful that a lease can be secured and look forward to working with interested parties in the reopening the airport. We have already initially tested the market for those industry experts who can partner with us to get the airport reopened as soon as we can.

“Cabinet was certainly reassured by the tremendous amount of hard work that has happened to date and I would like to thank council staff who have been dedicated to the South Yorkshire City Airport (SYAC) programme and their work continues. I do hope that we can share good news soon and continue the journey to reopen our airport.”

Cabinet supported the recommendations to put in place the arrangements to sign a lease if it is agreed as well as other requirements including potential funding support. It also heard that reopening the airport would not only restore international connectivity for Doncaster and South Yorkshire, which is currently the biggest City Region in Europe without an airport, but also be a catalyst for economic growth.

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily