Doncaster Sheffield Airport: Plans to submit business case to regional authority unanimously approved

This week, Doncaster Council’s cabinet approved an Outline Business Case (OBC) which details plans to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport. The OBC will be submitted to the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) to seek funding to assist in the reopening process.

Following the approval of the OBC, a Full Business Case will be submitted before the funding can be secured. Doncaster Sheffield Airport closed last year after a strategic review by owner Peel Group deemed its operations unviable.

Since, the council has worked to find an investor which will lease the site from Peel over several years.

Doncaster Mayor Ros Jones said: “As I said in September, the path ahead is not easy, and it is not guaranteed to succeed. I am however hopeful; we are following a very careful plan to give us the best chance of seeing our great airport reopen and save Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

“There will of course be costs, these will depend on any deal agreed with the airport landowners and an airport operator. The latest economic assessment of options suggests gross benefits in the range £1.0 billion to £2.3 billion attributed to re-opening DSA.

“If the forecast 30-year benefits and passenger numbers and freight expansion are realised, we estimate that almost 5,000 gross direct jobs will be supported under a Central scenario, as well as c. 6,000 gross indirect and induced jobs and c. 4,400 catalytic jobs in surrounding aviation-related development.”