Doncaster Sheffield Airport: "The world can do without DSA," says travel guru Simon Calder

Airport owners Peel yesterday announced financial pressures had forced bosses into a strategic review of the airport’s future, with a six week consultation process under way to consider whether flights should continue from Doncaster.

Independent travel editor Mr Calder, a hugely respected and influential figure in the travel industry said: “Unfortunately, I fear the local authorities may concluded the world can dwo without Doncaster Sheffield Airport. It’s a shame, it’s an airport I’m very fond of.”

He said the closure threat was down to too many airports in northern England, all vying for the same passengers.

In the interview on BBC’s Look North he said the closure “looks fairly sad and inevitable unless a local authority steps forward with many millions of pounds to keep the airport going.”

"Airports are all about scale,” he said. “It costs a fortune to keep them running – firefighters, security staff, all sorts of people are required even if you’ve only got one flight a day.

"And so therefore airports which have a hundred flights a day are much more secure.

"It’s also a question of geography. If tou look at Leeds Bradford, 38 miles away, East Midlands, 46 miles away, Manchester just 53 miles away – so even if you are at the airport one of those three other airports would be within an hour’s drive.

"It appears that the the UK, particularly Northern England has too much aviation capacity, which of course we saw a few years back when Blackpool Airport in the north west shut down.”

In a message to holidaymakers worried about their summer breaks, he said: “First thing is do not panic.

“If you are booked for anything this summer - there’s three and a half months remaining of the main summer season – until the end of October your holiday will go ahead as normal, even though the consultation period that Peel Group have set out ends in August.

"There is no possibility it will close down before the end of the airline summer schedule at the end of October.

"However, after that I wouldn’t be so sure. You will have plenty of time to change though.

"It is still possible, I’ve just had a look, you can book a TUI holiday for next summer to Tenerife – but I’m not going to because I’m not sure that that flight will go ahead.

"However, anyone that has got a booking beyond the end of October will be looked after by their holiday company.”

When asked whether DSA has a future he said: “Anything can happen.

“We’ve seen Cardiff Airport for instance had the Welsh government throwing millions of pounds to keep it going. Same thing happened with Prestwick in Scotland.

"But unfortunately, I fear the local authorities may conclued the world can do without DSA. It’s a shame, it’s an airport I’m rather fond of.”