Doncaster Sheffield Airport: South Yorkshire Mayor sends message of defiance

Peel Group, owners, announced the airport may no longer be commercially viable – putting around 800 jobs at risk plus many more in the supply chain.

It cited recent problems including Covid-19, environmental considerations and the impact of airline Wizz Air cancelling flights.

Around 100,000 people signed a petition calling for the site – also known as DSA – to be saved.

Mr Coppard said a thriving, commercially-led airport was a central, vital part of the region’s economic strategy and he was committed to achieving that.

He added: “In my view, announcing a review of DSA with less than 24 hours’ notice, creating an artificially short timetable for that review, remaining unclear about future intentions for DSA and wilfully draining the confidence of employees and investors, is not the behaviour of a responsible partner.

“I am joined in that opinion by Doncaster Council, Doncaster’s local MPs, the Minister for Aviation, the front runner to be our next Prime Minister, and thousands upon thousands of people from across the communities of South Yorkshire and beyond.

“Peel remains unclear about its intentions for DSA, while expecting partners to put forward ideas that ‘address the underlying lack of viability of the aviation operations’. As the owners of the airport, it is their responsibility to make clear the options they would be prepared to consider – including whether they would be prepared to explore options for the airport’s sale, a question we have asked them repeatedly – and allow a reasonable period of time for those options to be explored.

“I am increasingly concerned they are now seeking to undermine confidence in the airport as a pretence for its closure, limiting commercial interest in a possible sale, all with a view to forcing a change of use and attempting to open up the site to commercial land development.”

He called on Peel to change its approach, extend the review period and collaborate to safeguard the future of DSA.

The site handles more than a million passengers annually and flies to 50 destinations.

But bosses said it “never achieved the critical mass required to become profitable”.