125-year lease of Doncaster Sheffield Airport is signed

Mayor Ros Jones announced today (21 March) that a lease has been signed for an operator to take over Doncaster Sheffield Airport for 125 years.

The lease is a major step towards reopening the site which was closed by owner Peel Group in October 2022.

It comes after a year of complex negotiations with Peel after the company refused to sell the land but supported a leasehold agreement.

Doncaster Council will now continue to work to appoint an airport operator who will take control of the site.

Mayor Ros Jones said:

“This is a significant day in our ambition to reopen the airport as the lease has been signed.

“I was determined to find a way to secure the future of aviation in Doncaster and this agreement helps us along the way to reopening our airport and seeing planes taking off once again.

“This is a major step in the reopening process. The next is appointing an operator and investor who will manage and develop the airport. This process is well underway and I am optimistic that I can announce a partnership later in the spring.

“I would like to personally thank council officers who have worked tirelessly with great dedication, insight, determination and skill to get us to where we are today. This has been no mean feat.

“Let’s look forward to the future with an airport that will help boost the economic and growth fortunes of our city, South Yorkshire and the north.

“I would also like to thank my fellow South Yorkshire Leaders for backing the efforts of me and this council to save and reopen our airport. This airport is for the whole of South Yorkshire.”

The work forms part of the council’s wider South Yorkshire Airport City programme, within which it aims to reopen the site alongside an aviation hub to create new jobs and investment in the region.

It is supported by a £138 million funding package from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority which was agreed upon last month.