Doncaster Sheffield Airport: the clue that deadlock has been broken ahead of reopening decision

There is a lot to weigh up. It would give a clear boost to the region in terms of growth and jobs, however with around £150m of taxpayer money being spent is it possible to turn DSA into a viable airport?

These are all of the things Mr Coppard is considering as he weighs up whether to approve devolved funding to progress the reopening.

We initially thought we would get an answer in February, then this was pushed back to the summer before a date of 9 September was set.

However, on Wednesday, Mr Coppard told me he was yet to make up his mind and the decision could be delayed again.

“We’ve got it in as a key decision for 9 September, that’s not to say it will definitely happen on 9 September,” he said.

“We are trying to take that decision as soon as possible, and it could be that we take an extraordinary meeting at a future date because we are still working through the problem.

“And there are real challenges in there that we need to overcome, that we need to be assured about legally.”

Due to commercial sensitivities, Mr Coppard could not go into greater detail about the “challenges” that were still being faced, but it was clear that there were still hurdles to overcome.

Could the project get more Government funding and support, given it has got the backing of the Prime Minister and the Chancellor?

Are the sums not adding up when it comes to the airport’s return on investment?

Or is the lease agreement with Peel Group - which appears to only have a five-year break clause - too risky?

That gives just a three-year window from commercial flights taking off in 2028 to take a decision on the long-term viability of the airport.

All of this and more was I’m sure swirling around the mayor’s head.

We had this conversation at around 2pm on Wednesday, and afterwards Mr Coppard headed into another meeting.

Then, the next day, on Thursday, Mr Coppard told BBC Radio Sheffield that a decision would be made on 9 September by the combined authority board.

So what happened in those intervening hours to make the Mayor confident in his judgement about whether to reopen the airport?

Was some new evidence uncovered or discussed at the meeting after The Yorkshire Post’s Q&A?

It’s likely that we may never know, however clearly a deadlock has been broken in some way.

The question is - has it convinced him to push ahead with the plans to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport or are the financial risks too great? We will have to wait until 9 September to find out.