Few airport reopening stories have had quite as many twists and turns as Doncaster Sheffield Airport. The site closed back in November 2022 when operator Peel Group decided it was no longer financially viable, leaving South Yorkshire — one of the largest city regions in the UK — without its own airport. Since then, it’s been a long road to try and get it back open.
The headline figure is £160 million — that’s the funding package approved by South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) and the City of Doncaster Council to bring the airport back to life. The operator, FlyDoncaster, is an arms-length body set up by Doncaster Council, and they’ve already been busy hiring senior staff — including a head of air traffic services, a head of IT, and a head of finance.
The latest update is encouraging, if cautious. FlyDoncaster has now launched a call for a Fixed Base Operator (FBO) — essentially a company to run private flights, executive jets, medical aircraft, and leisure pilots from the site. These could be among the first aircraft to actually take off from the reopened airport, with domestic private flights potentially starting after May once an FBO is selected.
On the bigger picture, the plan is for freight flights to resume in summer 2026, with bookings for commercial passenger flights opening later in the year — though actual holiday departures aren’t expected until 2027. The new terminal is being designed to handle up to four million passengers a year, and the project is projected to generate £5 billion for the regional economy by 2050.
There is, however, a cloud over proceedings. Reform UK councillors in Doncaster recently voted to revisit a previously approved £57 million council loan, with one councillor claiming they weren’t properly informed when the decision was first made. A meeting to reconsider the vote has been pushed back to 11 May, which has introduced some uncertainty. The local mayor has warned the move could “kill” the reopening if the loan isn’t confirmed.
The airport has a remarkable history, having first opened in 1915 as a military airfield used to intercept German Zeppelins during World War One. It later became known as Robin Hood Airport. It has one of the longest runways in the country at 2,895 metres. Hopefully, it’ll be putting that runway to good use again before too long.
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