Step forward for reopening of former Doncaster Sheffield Airport - key decision passes hurdle

The reopening of the former Doncaster Sheffield Airport has taken a step forward with the news that a decision on airspace has passed a key hurdle.

Doncaster Council agreed a 125-year lease on the former Doncaster Sheffield Airport last year following negotiations with landowner the Peel Group. It has been estimated that reopening the airport - which closed in 2022 - could create more than 5,000 direct jobs and 6,500 indirect jobs, and could boost the economy by £6.6bn when fully operational. The council has established a wholly owned subsidiary – Fly Doncaster – and has secured Munich Airport International as strategic partner to support the reestablishment of operations over a multi-year period.

Secretary of state for transport Heidi Alexander has now elected not to call in the decision regarding the airspace at the hub, avoiding a further hurdle in its reopening. The final decision on the airspace will now be made by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "After years of inaction, the transport secretary has taken the decisive next step towards enabling Doncaster Sheffield Airport to reopen to passengers.

"She has decided not to call-in the airspace change proposal which clears the way for the regulator to move forward with a decision, and we expect a conclusion on this very shortly, unlocking another barrier to the airport reopening."

 

Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, said: "This decision unlocks our ability to progress work with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to establish the most appropriate airspace for airlines and passengers, as we work to reopen our airport in Spring 2026.

"We are working with the Department for Transport (DfT) and CAA to re-establish our airspace, this process will mirror other activities which need to be completed before the airport is once again ready to open.

"This is another step forward towards reopening our airport."

 

South Yorkshire mayor Oliver Coppard said: "Today the secretary of state for transport has taken the decision not to call-in the CAA's decision to restore Doncaster Sheffield Airport's airspace. That decision paves the way for the CAA to make a decision more quickly than if the secretary of state were to further delay that decision. We now expect the CAA to quickly lay out their approach. 

"Whatever that decision - either to restore or reshape our airspace - in conversations with the CAA and the Department for Transport over recent weeks, we have been assured repeatedly that decisions about the airspace will not delay our plans for DSA. So this is another step forward.

"Later this year we will take a final decision about the funding for the airport and the wider Gateway East project. The work to fully understand the commercial, financial and wider infrastructure needs of the whole project is moving forward at pace and I have no reason to believe we will not take a positive decision this summer."