Airport campaigner welcomes progress as mayor quizzed on DSA at meeting

A city businessman leading the public fight to re-open Doncaster Sheffield Airport has welcomed ‘positive’ progress as South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard was grilled by the public at a question and answer session.

It comes after South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority announced it was taking the airport - which closed in 2022 - into public ownership after striking a deal with landowners Peel.

On Monday, Mayor Coppard and Doncaster Chamber chief Dan Fell took questions from the public in a meeting at Club Doncaster Sports Village.

Save DSA campaigner Mark Chadwick said: “here were certainly plenty of questions and residents' concerns deserve to be heard.

“The questions covered a wide range of subjects, including airport funding, aircraft noise, proposed airspace changes, future transport connections and the wider development of Gateway East.

“Supporting the reopening of DSA doesn't mean dismissing the concerns of those who might be affected by its operations.

“Questions were raised about the overall cost, who is currently paying the wages of staff working at DSA and how the project will be funded.

“Rather than committing public money to leasing an airport for decades, we are now looking at bringing the airport into public ownership.

“That provides greater control, long-term security and potentially significant financial advantages.

“Of course, no major public investment is entirely without risk, but I believe these revised arrangements represent a considerable improvement over the original proposals.

He added: “We should not underestimate the economic possibilities associated with the land surrounding DSA.

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“The airport itself is obviously important, but the wider development could create opportunities extending far beyond passenger flights.

“If we are serious about attracting businesses, developing cargo operations and creating thousands of jobs, the surrounding infrastructure must be capable of supporting that growth.

“Another interesting point raised during the evening was Oliver's willingness to consider further investment in DSA should suitable opportunities arise.

“My understanding was that if additional funding became available and an opportunity presented itself that offered genuine benefits to South Yorkshire, he would be prepared to consider it.

“That suggests the ambition extends beyond simply restoring the airport's previous operations.

“Four years ago, we were fighting to save an airport. Reflecting on the meeting, I came away feeling positive about the direction in which the project is heading.

“Throughout the past four years, I have maintained that the campaign to reopen DSA should be about the opportunities it can provide for Doncaster and the wider region.

“We are not at the finish line yet, but we are certainly a long way down the runway compared with where we were four years ago.

“And after four years of campaigning, I believe we have good reason to be optimistic about the future.”