Reopening Doncaster Sheffield Airport is the 'wrong investment' according to chief of climate change organisation

Plans are in the pipeline to reopen the airport, which closed in November 2022, and just last month over £250,000 was approved by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) to help with the upcoming decision on whether to release funding for it.

Mayor of South Yorkshire Oliver Coppard has said he hopes to make a decision on whether to release gainshare funding for the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport in “early September”.

But Chris Broome of South Yorkshire Climate Alliance, who is based in Sheffield, says Doncaster has better options for the future rather than reopening the airport.

He said: “Now a private operator has agreed to co-manage - but not take on the risk of owning - Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA), local politicians are seeking to attract airlines.

“Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary has described the prospects of running flights a “hard sell” but suggests that the if Air Passenger Duty is cut, then Ryanair might consider it.

“Of course airlines would profit if that duty were to be reduced nationwide. However, cutting taxes on one of the most polluting industries should not be considered during a climate emergency.”

He continued: “Local and regional political leaders are rightly concerned about the financial risks of reopening the airport. They should take note of one in particular: that the Government may well decide, sensibly, to take the advice of its own climate advisors and ensures the costs of reducing aviation’s climate impacts is borne by the airlines.

“Considering that all the relevant technologies being developed locally are both expensive and limited in their likely effectiveness, that represents a very real financial risk to the airport.

“Re-opening an airport is the wrong investment during a growing climate crisis and the longer realisation of that takes to sink in, the worse the consequences will be. Meanwhile, Doncaster has better options for a more sustainable and prosperous future. It just needs to support them.”

In hearing Mr Broome’s thoughts, Free Press reader Stephen Hamilton of Mexborough said: “I am disgusted that our jewel in the city of Doncaster's crown is being criticised for opening.

“So why are they building another airport runway in London and demolishing good homes to make an extra runway?

“I wish some critics would get a life and leave our valuable airport alone. Let's get ours open asap please.”

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