Doncaster Sheffield Airport: When will it reopen, as bids are submitted and next steps agreed

The airport was closed by its owner Peel Group in 2022, but the company has since agreed to lease the site to a new investor to run.

Doncaster Council signed a leasehold agreement with Peel earlier this year, and Monday, June 17 was the deadline for investors to submit their bids to reopen the airport.

The council must now weigh up those applications before a preferred bidder is chosen in July or August this year.

A formal business case must then be submitted to the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), with the chosen bidder expected to sign a lease this September.

Doncaster Council’s cabinet approved the next steps towards reopening on Wednesday, June 19.

But no desired date for the airport to actually reopen has been published, with the council saying this would ‘need discussing with the operator once appointed’.

The Star spoke to Dr Erica Ballantyne, a senior lecturer in operations and supply chain management at the University of Sheffield, to get her thoughts.

When could DSA reopen?

Asked how long it might take from the lease being signed with a new operator to the airport actually reopening, she replied: “It's difficult to say. It could be as little as months or as long as years.

“But usually it's years when you're talking about building an airport from scratch. Doncaster Sheffield Airport was fully operational until it closed less than two years ago, so I would hope it would be possible to reopen it in under a year.”

If she’s right that means Doncaster Sheffield Airport would probably reopen at some point during 2025.

Asked whether she thinks the demand is there for it to succeed this time, Dr Ballantyne said: “I think there's always been a demand for it. It was unfortunate with the economic downturn and Covid, which together killed it off.

“If we have positive results from the election, that will provide a boost for the economy, and an airport will be key for growth in the region.”

What changes could be made at DSA?

As for what changes could be made, she replied: “Any airport needs to offer exemplary customer service to succeed, but that's something for which DSA was already highly rated.

“The other important thing is a sense of place, capturing the character and identity of the region it serves. Singapore is a good example, with the rainforest in theairport that really defines the character of the region as a tropical area.

“Leeds Bradford has taken the north side of Yorkshire, but DSA can develop itself as the gateway to South Yorkshire and the Peak District.

“There also needs to be a mixture of services, including cargo and air freight to support the logistics sector in the region, which is booming.

“You have the iPort, the rail hub, and you could have an extension of the tram train to Rotherham.

“There are lots of opportunities to be a little more multi-modal and use the airport as a vehicle to drive development in the region.”

What airlines might fly from DSA?

Which airlines might operate from Doncaster Sheffield Airport and where could they fly to?

“Realistically, it needs to provide access to Europe rather than the rest of the world,” says Dr Ballantyne. “For the cargo market, it could be used by KLM Cargo and DHL Cargo. In terms of holiday operators, it would be nice to see Jet2 extend their network and TUI coming in as well.

“Loganair is a regional operator offering links to the north and to Scandinavia and the Nordic region.

“Maybe you could also get easyJet and Ryanair, and KLM City Hopper providing flights to the Netherlands, from where you can fly onwards around the world.

“What's important is to have a balanced approach with a bit of everything.”

Reopening DSA is a ‘massive opportunity’

Meanwhile, Harry Carson, commercial manager of AeroCloud, described the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport as a ‘massive opportunity for the local economy’.

He added: “However, passengers won’t settle for mediocre experiences and if the leaders of this South Yorkshire airport get it wrong, they will lose out on attracting local travellers to neighbouring travel hubs, such as Leeds Bradford and Manchester Airport.

“Our research shows that 64 per cent of passengers in Yorkshire and the Humber feel they spend all their time in airports waiting in endless queues.

“While the revival of Doncaster Sheffield Airport will help reduce passenger traffic in the North, consumers want a seamless, self-service experience powered by innovative technology.

“By doing this, it will boost passenger spending, and capitalise on the boom in air travel.” Mr Carson was speaking after the airport management platform published the findings of research showing passengers’ priorities when choosing where to fly from.

It showed that 66 per cent of passengers surveyed in Sheffield felt they spend ‘all their time in airports waiting in endless queues’, and 55 per cent would choose one airport over another if it offered a better experience.

As well as shorter queues, they said that meant better value food and drink options and more play facilities for children, among other considerations.

The findings were published as AeroCloud siad global passenger traffic was due to surpass pre-pandemic levels to reach 9.7 billion passengers in 2024.

It described this as ‘encouraging’ news, after earlier research showed that in October 2023, 58 per cent of UK airports were worried about their financial stability, with 36 per cent reporting that they were still in debt.