Doncaster Sheffield Airport: 'very positive discussions with a number of airlines', officials say
Officials behind the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport have said there have been “very positive discussions with a number of airlines”, despite holiday giant Tui warning yesterday of a “challenging environment” for the wider industry.
Talks with airlines have ramped up in recent days, The Yorkshire Post understands, after City of Doncaster councillors approved a £57m loan to kickstart the reopening.
Commercial flights are scheduled to take off again in late 2027 or early 2028, with the public cost now likely to hit £193m.
A project spokesperson told this paper: “As we enter a critical phase of the project to reopen the airport and progress the airspace re-certification process, we continue to have very positive discussions with a number of airlines.
“While we aren’t able to give a running commentary on these discussions, we continue to move forward at pace with our plans, supported by our partners at Munich Airport International (MAI), who bring invaluable aviation expertise and contacts to the table.
“Conversations with other organisations continue with regards to the wider airport estate, which will contribute to a healthy and sustainable future for the project.
“Such discussions will always be subject to commercial sensitivities and as such, we are limited to the amount of information we can provide.”
However, this comes as Tui, one of two commercial airlines which was operating when DSA closed in 2022, published its annual report yesterday, and warned of a “challenging cost and operating environment”.
While the German tour firm’s overall earnings were up 12.6 per cent in the 12 months to September, a record high, in the markets and airlines division they were down by 34 per cent before interest and tax.
The report said this comes “amid cost pressures in a competitive market as we invest significantly in transformation and growth”.
Encouragingly for DSA, Tui said it was continuing to see high volumes of travel in the UK, with more a drop off in western Europe.
Alongside Wizz Air, the tour operator was the last remaining commercial airline running at the airport when it closed three years ago.
South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard recently confirmed there had been “positive discussions” with both firms, saying: "We're obviously engaging airlines that have flown out of South Yorkshire before but also other airlines.”
In Wizz Air’s latest annual report, the firm saw increased profits with a big rise in passenger numbers last month.
At The Yorkshire Post’s Great Northern Conference in Doncaster last week, MAI’s managing director Dr Lutz Weisser said the key to attracting airlines was having a good customer base.
This was down to the “total travel time and quality of the transport”, he said.
“The total travel time flying from Doncaster will be shorter than going to Manchester, or God forbid to the south from those London airports,” Dr Weisser explained.
“That will play a huge role in trying to get to your destination as far as holidays are concerned or as far as an incoming carrier is concerned, in trying to build a business in trying to build a development.”
MAI has recently launched a new airport in Mumbai, and has relationships with almost 100 different commercial airlines.
Prior to the publication of the firm’s annual report, a Tui UK and Ireland spokesperson said that the firm was “following the progress of the re-opening plans closely”.
They said: “Doncaster Sheffield Airport has historically delivered a fantastic airport experience for our customers.
“We're always talking to airport operators about potential opportunities and are following the progress of the re-opening plans closely.”