Sir Keir Starmer 'delighted' to back Doncaster Sheffield Airport reopening

Sir Keir visited Doncaster this morning as part of an announcement that an additional £30m of funding from Mr Coppard would go towards creating a sustainable aviation hub next to the airport.

Standing a few hundred metres from the runway, which closed in 2022, the Prime Minister said: “Those with skin in the game make the best decisions about their community, and that’s what I mean about rewiring the state.

“That’s why I’m really delighted to back the mayor’s plans for DSA.

“This airport has sat empty for years, as this community has had to watch that.

“That’s not just a huge missed opportunity, it’s a question of history - pride and place.”

Sir Keir said reopening has “got the potential to drive growth right across the North, especially of course here in Doncaster”.

DSA has been closed since 2022, after its owner, Peel Group, said it was no longer financially viable.

The City of Doncaster Council signed a 125-year lease for the airport land with Peel Group in March 2024 and has subsequently established a council-owned company called FlyDoncaster with the intention of reopening the airport from next year.

Mr Coppard is currently assessing the business case to reopen the airport, amid increasing costs, and recently delayed his decision until the summer, subject to an independent financial assessment.

However he said yesterday that with support from Sir Keir and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner “I’ve got no reason to doubt that we can’t get this back up and running, and make sure that DSA is a thriving regional airport”.

The council has argued the reopening of the airport will be the catalyst for wider regeneration work around the airport and lead to the creation of 5,000 direct jobs.

The £30m, which will come from Mr Coppard’s 2026/27 funding settlement and a mayoral investment fund, is the latest public money to be pledged to the project.

City of Doncaster Council has already allocated £105m to the scheme, from its share of devolved funding given to the region, and said it aims to reopen the airport in spring 2025.

While recently-published council finance papers have now revealed that the minimum cost of lease payments for DSA is £363m.

Under the Peel Group, the airport made a loss in every financial year from 2005 to 2022, totalling £180m.

However, Sir Keir told The Yorkshire Post that he firmly believes the new scheme is value for money for taxpayers.

“The fact that so many businesses are already wanting to back what we're doing,” he said, “I'm absolutely convinced that this was a lost opportunity”.

“It should never have been closed, and therefore, I'm really pleased we’re making this announcement.

“I think the rallying of businesses now to this project demonstrates their commitment to what we're doing here at the airport.”

While the Deputy Prime Minister, Ms Rayner, told this paper: “We're backing Doncaster, we're backing the mayor, and we want to see these plans come to fruition.

“We know business wants it as well - so I think with that convening role, we can really make a success of it.”