Doncaster Sheffield Airport airspace decision expected 'by autumn' with reopening timelines under review
A decision on restoring airspace for Doncaster Sheffield Airport is not expected until autumn - with previously-announced timelines for reopening remaining "under review".
City of Doncaster Council, which is seeking to reopen the airport via a council-owned company called FlyDoncaster, needs to regain airspace certificate from the Civil Aviation Authority.
A corporate plan report going to CDC's cabinet later this week states: "The reopening process will continue through staff recruitment, essential infrastructure works, and securing the airport’s airspace by autumn 2026." A section on ‘specific deliverables this year’ includes a bulletpoint saying ‘secure the airspace by Autumn 2026’.
Mayor of Doncaster Ros Jones had repeatedly said she wanted to reopen the airport by spring 2026 in the run-up to mayoral elections in May 2025 but amended her timeline last September to suggest freight flights would be taking off by summer this year and passenger flights by "winter 2027/28".
When asked if those timetables remain the same given the autumn date for airspace, a council spokesperson said it is keeping "timelines under review" but it still intends that passenger flights can start by the latter period. They said that it is possible to start freight activity prior to full Civil Aviation Authority approval on the airspace.
A City of Doncaster Council spokesperson said: “We can commence freight activity before full CAA approval, subject to Air Traffic Control, Radar and Fire safety being in place alongside the necessary support services. Activity will continue to ramp up significantly in 2026 and 2027. The intention remains for passenger flights to commence for the winter 2027/28 season.
“We must reiterate what we have said previously in relation to interdependencies that are outside our control. Reopening an airport is not easy, and there will of course be challenges to overcome over the months and years ahead, that is why we are building the team and expertise in order to fully reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport as quickly and safely as possible.
“We will of course keep timelines under review as we continue to work to fully reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport, with a cabinet report scheduled for March.”
The council has recently established an Airport Consultative Committee which it has described as “crucial regulatory milestone” in regaining airspace.
The release of £160m of devolution funding for the project is on hold until some terms of the current lease the council holds with landowner Peel are renegotiated. The council has agreed to borrow £57m towards upfront costs on the basis in advance of that funding being delivered.
CDC will be required to publish details of any subsidy to FlyDoncaster within three months of a decision to grant it money. There will then be a further month for any interested party to apply to the Competition Appeal Tribunal for a review of the subsidy.
A challenge by Bristol Airport against the Welsh Government providing a £205m subsidy to the publicly-owned Cardiff Airport is to be heard this week after first being registered in June 2025.