Major UK airport to reopen after it closed in 2022 | UK | News
Aerial view of Doncaster Sheffield Airport (Image: DSA)
A UK airport that was closed three and a half years ago will reopen after a funding dispute was resolved this week. Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA), near Finningley in Doncaster, was once a major regional flight hub called Robin Hood Airport, with flights to holiday destinations such as Alicante, Majorca, Paris and other destinations from 2005.
But the airport was forced to close in 2022 after owners Peel Group described it as financially “unviable”. The decision left South Yorkshire without an international airport. However, in September 2025, the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) formally approved a £160 million funding package, building on previous commitments to reopen the airport as a DSA, providing a major boost to the region. Its revival followed campaigns by residents and local politicians and was supported by the British Government.
There was a major development in the funding dispute this week. (Image: DSA)
Reform councils had threatened to cancel approval of a major funding package. (Image: DSA)
But the project has been thrown into doubt in recent weeks, with Doncaster City Council deadlocked over a £57 million loan to support reopening efforts after Reform UK councilors voiced concerns about whether taxpayers would see a return on investment.
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The airport project was backed by the local authority’s Labor mayor, Ros Jones, who is thought to have been re-elected by a small margin largely due to her determination to deliver the potential transformation project, despite growing support for Reform.
The local government structure in Doncaster means that Reform retains executive control as Mayor, despite winning a majority on the council at the last election and now holding the money strings.
Nigel Farage’s party initially backed the airport project but said in April they would consider voting to cancel the approval because they wanted more information about how the money would be spent and how it would benefit residents.
Late last month Mr Farage criticized the terms of the lease negotiated with the site’s current owners The Peel Group and insisted the council should take ownership to prevent it becoming a “huge burden” on taxpayers.
Commercial flights could return to DSA by 2028 (Image: DSA)
Ms Jones told BBC News at the time: “Last week Reform said the DSA should be privately funded and today they say it should be bought by the council or government, even if it is through a compulsory purchase order (CPO).
“It is important to remember that we offered to purchase the property in 2022 and Peel refused, effectively eliminating the chance of a successful CPO with the lease offer.
He added that applying for a CPO can take five to seven years and is unlikely to be successful. This confrontation has led to fears that the project may have to be cancelled, despite significant progress in efforts to make it ready for commercial air traffic once again.
But at an extraordinary council meeting yesterday, Reform withdrew its opposition to the loan on condition that they could see copies of the new lease before it was given the green light, ITV News reported.
Ms Jones said she was “glad to see Reform have made a U-turn” and dismissed the far-right party’s threat as a “political stunt”.
According to reports, cargo services at the flight hub could start next year and passenger flights could start in 2028.
FlyDoncaster, a Council-owned company set up to reopen and manage the airport, has partnered with German operator Munich International Airport (MAI) on the project.
In an update on preparatory work at the site last month, Christian Foster, Director of council-owned operator FlyDoncaster, said: “We have been building the right team to take on this role over recent months. This team has included people with experience of major airports such as Manchester, Gatwick and the East Midlands, holding roles such as Head of Security, Head of Airport Operations and Head of Health and Fire Safety.
“We are also going through a critical Airspace Change Process, which is a regulatory hurdle that means we will have our own airspace around the airport to manage. This is critical to our plans.
“We will hear the results of phases one and two soon and solicit public input over the summer with a view to recertification in Spring 2027.”
He said they were also preparing to reopen the area and welcome back passengers, including “purchasing vital equipment such as a new radar and fire apparatus, completely renovating the fire station and control tower, and making plans to refurbish the terminal building.”
The terminal building is also “being completely refurbished, offering travelers somewhere that feels truly special at the start of their holiday” and changes are also being made to the site’s infrastructure “to make this one of the most accessible airports in the UK for disabled people”.
They are also in talks with airlines and partner organizations. Mr Foster says the airport is already ready to handle hundreds of thousands of tonnes of freight and is also talking to businesses working on the future of aviation, such as sky taxis, vertiports and new types of fuel, about how these could be integrated into the site.
