Doncaster Sheffield Airport: Free Press launches campaign to save it

Yesterday, airport bosses sent seismic shockwaves across the region when owners Peel made the dramatic announcement which has cast serious doubt on it’s future.

Angry politicans, unions and members of the public have all joined the fight to save the airport which has only been open for 17 years.

And today, your Doncaster Free Press joins those calls, demanding a future for the former RAF Finningley air base which has been transformed into a vast and important jewel in South Yorkshire’s crown.

But first, here’s a little insight into how the story emerged, sparking a huge wave of support for the airport and the aim of securing its future.

The Free Press was the first news outlet to bring you details of the dramatic development shortly after 11am yesterday.

Just hours before Peel dropped their bombshell, our reporter Darren Burke received a tip-off that the airport was due to make a closure announcement.

Rumours had begun circulating on an aviation enthusiasts’ chat group the previous evening – with one user writing: “There's an announcement tomorrow morning at 11am on the future of DSA. Most of the senior management gone before tomorrow’s announcement. This is the end for DSA, Peel want to build on the land.”

The majority of other users poured scorn on the claims but the poster was unrepentant, adding: “Wait while 11am this morning my friend, no need to issue an apology afterwards as I understand why you think its b******.”

Armed with the information, we approached Doncaster Sheffield Airport for a comment.

Barely believing the rumours ourselves, we thought we’d be furnished with a quick reply brushing off the claims – companies are often very quick to respond when allegations put to them seem vaguely ludicrous or far-fetched.

Within seconds of our email landing, we’d received a reply: “Your request has been forwarded on.”

Not exactly confirmation, but distinctly not the denial we might have been expecting either, suggesting that we were onto something and the rumours were true.

And at precisely 11.03am yesterday morning, an email simply headed “Doncaster Sheffield Airport - Strategic Review Announcement” landed in our reporter’s inbox.

Yesterday was a whirlwind, a vast number of stories trying to help our readers make sense of the announcement.

“What about my holiday? Will my flight be cancelled? They can’t shut it down – it’s got to be saved,” were among the thousands of comments flying around.

And while the shock of yesterday’s news will linger on, today, now the dust has settled a little, your Free Press is backing the fight to keep DSA open as a commercially viable airport.

We’ve been around almost as long as there’s been flying at Finningley, arriving in 1925, just ten years after the first aircraft took off from what was then Finningley Airfield.

We’ve charted the rise and fall of the RAF Finningley air base, the much-heralded arrival of the Vulcan in 2011 and of course, watching and reporting how the airport first took shape two decades ago before the first flight took off in 2005.

We’ve seen the area around the base transformed with business parks, link roads, new companies and housing developments.

We’ve seen the joy on holidaymakers’ faces at being able to jet off to a string of destinations around the globe from an airport on their doorsteps.

We’ve seen big name airlines soaring through the skies and the sheer effort of more than 800 airport workers who have worked around the clock through challenging times to keep the airport going.

We’ve even seen comedians David Walliams and Matt Lucas joking around, filming their successful BBC series Come Fly With Me at the airport.

But today, the message is a deadly serious one.

We don’t want to see twenty years of hard work and impressive infrastructure which has transformed Doncaster go down the pan.

We’re a newly crowned city and having an international airport is key to that. Our name is known around the world among travellers, freight firms, Hollywood stars, world class football teams, military personnel and many more who have all used Doncaster Sheffield Airport over the years.

Politicians, unions, members of the public have already voiced their concerns and their desires to ensure the airport stays open.

Now is the time to make your voice heard. Send a letter to your local MP calling for any potential closure to be halted.

Make your objections known to Peel, sign a petition, do whatever you can to spread the message that Doncaster needs Doncaster Sheffield Airport and that Doncaster Sheffield Airport needs Doncaster.

Together we can give our city the bright future it so richly deserves.