Starmer gives Doncaster Sheffield Airport lift off - but will it be a success?

The Prime Minister said he was “delighted” to back the plans to resurrect the airport, which closed without a whimper in 2022.

One Labour MP, who I bumped into at the event just metres away from the runway, certainly thinks the reopening is guaranteed.

“I told you it would happen,” they said excitedly.

The question now turns to whether the airport will be sustainable going forward, as the costs are mounting.

The City of Doncaster Council intends to loan £105m to Fly Doncaster - the council-owned company which has been set up - towards the costs of reopening, using its share of South Yorkshire devolution funding up to 2050 which is overseen by Mr Coppard.

Council papers however have indicated that this cost could rise to £145m.

On top of that, the cost to lease the airport land could hit £363m.

While worryingly, Peel Group, the company which operated the airport previously, made a loss every year from 2005 to 2022, totalling £180m.

I asked the Prime Minister about this, and he seemed convinced that reopening the airport would be a good deal for taxpayers.

Mr Coppard wants to develop South Yorkshire Airport City, the area around the terminal, into a business district.

US engineering company Holtec is considering it as one of the sites for the factory it’s planning to build in South Yorkshire.

The Mayor also believes the airport can attract Ministry of Defence contracts, and other business from government to make it a success.

While people who support the project believe that Munich Airport International - the company which will operate DSA if it reopens - will be able to charge lower landing fees than the previous owners.

Still though - with the amount of public money being used - the airport absolutely has to be a success.