"We're not over the line yet," says mayor in fresh Doncaster Sheffield Airport update

Rumours had circulated that an announcement on an operator was due to be made this week – with City of Doncaster Council forced to issue a statement saying the suggestions were totally false.

Mayor Ros Jones has said that “progress is being made” and has said work to re-open the airport continues.

In a statement, she said: “On Saturday it will be two years since Peel launched their strategic review into Doncaster Sheffield Airport, and despite all our best-efforts Peel decided to close the airport with the last flight taking off in November 2022.

"These two years have been incredibly challenging, with many thinking that a lease agreement with Peel would not be possible, but here we are.

"We now have a 125-year lease for the airport and are in the process of appointing an airport operator.

“The airport operator bid process closed three weeks ago, and we are now reviewing those bids.

"As you can imagine, the assessment of this significance involves very detailed and complex examination of bidders’ businesses cases. Despite what the media may be saying or the rumours on social media, at this point we have not yet decided on an operator.

“There remains a number of legal and due-diligence processes yet to complete as per our managed plan, the snap General Election created a couple more hurdles to overcome, but progress is being made.

“In relation to the airspace, throughout the General Election campaign we continued to engage with the now previous UK government, but we also made representation to the then Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, in order that if there was a transfer of power then the new Secretary of State would be fully briefed.

“We are requesting that the newly appointed Secretary of State for Transport supports the full re-establishment of our airspace, as we are now leaseholders and have the backing of all four of our Doncaster MPs, we need the airport to again be part of this country's aviation infrastructure for the betterment of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, and the wider regions.

“We are not over the line yet, but I must pay tribute to the dedicated council officers leading this piece of work which we call the South Yorkshire Airport City programme. I will of course continue to update councillors, residents and businesses as works progress to save and reopen our airport.”

The airport, which opened on the site of the former RAF Finningley air base in 2005, was first earmarked for closure by owners Peel in a shock announcement in the summer of 2022, with bosses announcing it was no longer profitable.

Despite a huge outcry from local politicians, business leaders and more than 100,000 members of the public signing a petition for it to stay open, the last flights took off and landed from the airport in November 2022 and the complex has lain empty since.