Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber welcome decision to re-open Doncaster-Sheffield Airport

The green light given today, which aims to see the re-opening Doncaster Sheffield Airport today has been welcomed by Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber.

Following a meeting concluded this afternoon (9th September), the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority voted unanimously to approve a funding package worth nearly £160 million as the first step towards the airport re-opening.

Doncaster Sheffield Airport closed in November 2022, leaving South Yorkshire as one of the largest UK city regions without an international aviation presence. 

Since it closed, Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber, Doncaster Chamber and Sheffield Chamber have worked closely together to highlight the business case for re-opening.

Commenting on the decision reached today, Carrie Sudbury, Chief Executive, Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber said:

“The decision to re-open Doncaster airport today is a milestone moment for South Yorkshire and we welcome the decision reached today.

Today marks the end of an extensive consultation period, which clearly laid out the strong business case for re-opening. I hope that with funding now secured and consultations completed, this marks the beginning of an exciting new phase which will ultimately see flights return to the skies in South Yorkshire.

My hope is that the re-opening of Doncaster airport will act as a catalyst towards boosting growth across the region, helping to connect the truly unique and innovative work being delivered throughout South Yorkshire, as well as helping our business community to explore new opportunities within international markets. At the same time, the decision is likely to create many new jobs within the regional economy as well as helping to drive inward investment into South Yorkshire.”

City of Doncaster Council, representing the procurement team at DSA will be attending Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber’s business expo, Chamber Means Business on Thursday 18th September at the AESSEAL New York Stadium. They will be joined by key public sector organisations from across South Yorkshire who will be on hand to help businesses access potential supply chain opportunities. Entry to the event is free of charge and delegates can register by visiting: https://www.chambermeansbusiness.co.uk/

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Read the press release from South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority:

South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard and Council Leaders have taken a historic decision to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport, approving a £160m (£159.52m) funding package that will see commercial flights return to the region.  

The decision was made at a meeting of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority Board, held on Tuesday 9 September at Doncaster Sheffield Airport. All five board members voted unanimously in favour of the funding, paving the way for the airport’s reopening.  

The approved funding is on top of the £16m already committed previously by the Board. The decision was taken by the Board made up of South Yorkshire’s Mayor who chairs it, the Leader of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council Sir Steve Houghton, Mayor of City of Doncaster Council Ros Jones, Leader of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council Chris Read and Leader of Sheffield City Council Tom Hunt.

Doncaster Sheffield Airport closed in November 2022, leaving South Yorkshire one of the largest UK city regions without an international aviation presence. 

Since it closed, the Mayors of South Yorkshire and Doncaster, along with local authority partners and central government have worked at pace to explore the opportunity to return aviation to the region through a reopened airport with a viable future.

South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver 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.  

“I’ve always said I wanted to reopen DSA, but we needed to know exactly what the plan looked like. That’s why we’ve taken the time and done the work. No plan of this size or scale is ever easy, or without risks, but today we’ve taken a bold step forward, backed by data, expertise, and a shared vision for the type of South Yorkshire we want to build, because DSA is a unique opportunity.  

“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 defence sector, here in South Yorkshire.”

Mayor of City of Doncaster Council Ros Jones, said:

“This is an important day in our airport’s story. Today we have taken a huge step forward towards fully reopening our airport. Over the last three years this airport has been the number one question on the doorstep, in the pub and across our communities. 
 
“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.”

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said:

“Our first mission was to fix the foundations of our economy, now we are investing in Britain’s renewal so that we can build an economy that works for, and rewards, working people.  

“The reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport is a huge milestone for communities and business across South Yorkshire, delivering better connections, jobs and economic growth.  

“We are ending the era of chaos and decline by choosing stability and investment, to grow our economy and put more money in working people’s pockets.” 

Lee Pitcher MP for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme, said:

“This isn’t just an airport – this is our airport. Having DSA open again will bring growth, jobs and opportunities for my constituency. Most importantly, it will bring the heart back to our community.

“For exactly that reason, when I was elected, my number one commitment was to get our airport reopened. Getting to where we are today has taken a huge team effort, and there is much still to do.

“I will continue to work with everyone to ensure our reopened airport is the success this community deserves.”

Now that a positive funding decision has been taken, significant passenger operations are not likely to commence until summer 2028 but with potential for limited passenger activity and cargo from winter 2027.