South Yorkshire leaders will decide next week whether to commit up to 160 million GBP to the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA).
The decision will be taken at the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) Board meeting on Tuesday 9 September.
The funding, set at a maximum of 159.52 million GBP, would be in addition to the 16 million GBP already provided to support preparatory work.
A report before the Board outlines three options:
- Approve the funding to City of Doncaster Council to reopen the airport
- Defer the decision pending further assurance and negotiations, or
- Withdraw public funding and seek alternative delivery models.
Doncaster Sheffield Airport closed in November 2022 after its owner ended operations, leaving South Yorkshire without a passenger airport. Its closure affected residents, local businesses, and wider investor confidence.
Since then, South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard, Doncaster’s Mayor Ros Jones and other local authority leaders have worked with government to explore reopening. City of Doncaster Council has secured a 125-year lease on the airport site, appointed Munich International Airports as operator, and begun regulatory work on reinstating airspace.
The airport is intended to form the centrepiece of the South Yorkshire Airport City project, a ten-year plan linking the site with advanced manufacturing and sustainable aviation activity at the Gateway East development.
The funding decision will be based on a Full Business Case (FBC) prepared by City of Doncaster Council and tested by independent advisors. Additional assessments were commissioned on issues including:
- Passenger traffic forecasts and financial modelling
- The programme plan and regulatory requirements with the Civil Aviation Authority
- The 125-year lease agreement
- The wider Gateway East development potential
- Benefit-cost analysis and sensitivity testing
- Climate and sustainability impacts
- Surface access and transport connectivity
- Workforce skills and employment planning
- Equalities impact
- Governance arrangements
While risks to public finances remain, the review concluded that reopening is achievable with the right management and strategy in place.
If approved, charter and cargo flights could begin in winter 2027, with scheduled passenger services likely from summer 2028. The two-year period reflects the time needed to complete airspace reinstatement and aerodrome certification, though the CAA has indicated it will not introduce regulatory delays.
The project is expected to create demand for specialist roles such as air traffic controllers, fire crews, engineers and cyber security staff. A regional skills board has been set up to coordinate training and workforce planning, with devolved adult skills funding to be used where required.
