Reform UK leader accuses Mayor Jones of misleading local people over Doncaster Sheffield Airport

Councillor Guy Aston issued a statement exclusively to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) following the revelation holiday flights are unlikely before 2028.

He said: “The announcement that holiday flights would not be departing from Doncaster Airport until at least 2028 was a significant disappointment for many Doncastrians, myself included. I felt that the community had been misled.”

The Wheatley Hills and Intake councillor said many residents had told them in the lead up to May’s local elections that they were voting for Ros Jones because she would “get the airport open so I can fly to Lanzarote in ’26”.

“The announcement regarding 2028 was not a sudden realisation for Fly Doncaster,” Aston claimed, “They must have known back in May that 2026 was unrealistic. However, that promise garnered votes. Had the truth been revealed, we might have seen a different outcome in the mayoral race.”

It is not yet known exactly when the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority or Doncaster Council knew of the new timetable.

However, in an interview with the LDRS on August 28, South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard acknowledged it had been discussed for “a number of weeks”.

Aston continued: “At the July 2025 full council meeting, I inquired of Mayor Jones about the 2026 flight destinations from Doncaster Airport. Holiday brochures had been released, and it seemed that all the holiday landing slots had already been allocated.

“The response I received was that the information was ‘company confidential’. Mayor Jones did not inform the chamber that there would be no holiday flights from the airport in 2026.

“Mayor Jones had led us to believe that holiday flights would commence in 2026. In July, she had the opportunity to clarify that this would not be the case, but she chose not to do so.”

In a statement to the LDRS, Mayor Ros Jones said: “We have always stated that there are interdependencies out of our control in relation to issues such as Airspace and Aerodrome Certification.

“We expect to see freight services commence in Summer 2026, followed by passenger flights towards the end of 2027, meaning we should see plane tickets and holidays on sale by late 2026 flying from Doncaster for the winter 2027/28 holiday season, but again this is all dependent on several factors including Gainshare decision, Airspace, Aerodrome Certification and negotiations with airlines.

“In relation to commercial passenger flights, we have been reviewing plans over the last few weeks in advance of the SYMCA Gainshare decision whilst they were carrying out additional due diligence works.

“I want our airport fully operational as soon as possible, but we must follow the correct process.”

Asked how Mayor Jones can expect passenger flights in 2027 when Oliver Coppard revealed it was unlikely to be until 2028, a spokesperson for Jones said: “Oliver is saying it could be earlier and we’re saying we’re aiming for the back end of 2027.”