A new airport.... South Yorkshire Airport City?

Doncaster Sheffield Airport Strategic Review Announcement​

Forums4airports discusses the latest press release from Doncaster Sheffield airport where the airport questions the future of the airport. The owners of the airport, the Peel Group have announced they are looking at their options as the group has decided the airport is no longer viable as an operational airport. Here's the press release:

"The Board of Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) has begun a review of strategic options for the Airport. This review follows lengthy deliberations by the Board of DSA which has reluctantly concluded that aviation activity on the site may no longer be commercially viable.

DSA’s owner, the Peel Group, as the Airport’s principal funder, has reviewed the conclusions of the Board of DSA and commissioned external independent advice in order to evaluate and test the conclusions drawn, which concurs with the Board’s initial findings.

Since the Peel Group acquired the Airport site in 1999 and converted it into an international commercial airport, which opened in 2005, significant amounts have been invested in the terminal, the airfield and its operations, both in relation to the original conversion and subsequently to improve the facilities and infrastructure on offer to create an award winning airport.

However, despite growth in passenger numbers, DSA has never achieved the critical mass required to become profitable and this fundamental issue of a shortfall in passenger numbers is exacerbated by the announcement on 10 June 2022 of the unilateral withdrawal of the Wizz Air based aircraft, leaving the Airport with only one base carrier, namely TUI.

This challenge has been increased by other changes in the aviation market, the well-publicised impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and increasingly important environmental considerations. It has therefore been concluded that aviation activity may no longer be the use for the site which delivers the maximum economic and environmental benefit to the region. Against this backdrop, DSA and the Peel Group, will initiate a consultation and engagement programme with stakeholders on the future of the site and how best to maximise and capitalise on future economic growth opportunities for Doncaster and the wider Sheffield City Region.

The wider Peel Group is already delivering significant development and business opportunities on its adjoining GatewayEast development including the recent deal for over 400,000 sq ft logistics and advanced manufacturing development on site, creating hundreds of new jobs and delivering further economic investment in the region.

Robert Hough, Chairman of Peel Airports Group, which includes Doncaster Sheffield Airport, said: “It is a critical time for aviation globally. Despite pandemic related travel restrictions slowly drawing to a close, we are still facing ongoing obstacles and dynamic long-term threats to the future of the aviation industry. The actions by Wizz to sacrifice its base at Doncaster to shore up its business opportunities at other bases in the South of England are a significant blow for the Airport.

Now is the right time to review how DSA can best create future growth opportunities for Doncaster and for South Yorkshire. The Peel Group remains committed to delivering economic growth, job opportunities and prosperity for Doncaster and the wider region.”

DSA and the Peel Group pride themselves on being forward-thinking whilst prioritising the welfare of staff and customers alike. As such, no further public comments will be made whilst they undertake this engagement period with all stakeholders.
During the Strategic Review, the Airport will operate as normal. Therefore passengers who are due to travel to the airport, please arrive and check in as normal. If there are any disruptions with your flight, you will be contacted by your airline in good time.
For all press enquiries, please contact Charlotte Leach at [email protected]."

"Not great news for DSA or the region"

Should the government or local council foot the bill and provide a financial subsidy to keep the airport open, thoughts...?

 

The mechanic appears to be claiming that the DSA Ops Director position has been filled by someone who is ex-EMA ‘with a proven history in Aviation’. No names mentioned but if this is true then it was a typically cynical public sector box ticking exercise to advertise the role externally when they’ve already appointed somebody, whoever it is.

 

The mechanic appears to be claiming that the DSA Ops Director position has been filled by someone who is ex-EMA ‘with a proven history in Aviation’. No names mentioned but if this is true then it was a typically cynical public sector box ticking exercise to advertise the role externally when they’ve already appointed somebody, whoever it is.

So someone with proven history in aviation who has been out of work? Nobody is going to give up an existing job to take on a 2 month temp job trying to do what clearly cannot be done in that timescale. I cant help thinking that everything going on at CDC relating to DSA is smoke and mirrors. Nothing is as it seems or as its portrayed.

Some poor soul will be wasting their time applying for an already taken job then as the Mechanic says so, and what he says goes apparently. If the advert is still live, I doubt Triumph would be very happy about him letting the cat out of the bag!

 

Still makes me laugh the die hard followers believe this will in turn bring their holiday prices down (because peel charged too much) (apparently)... it really doesn't work like that. wake up, its worrying how some peoples brains or lack off.. work.

 

So someone with proven history in aviation who has been out of work? Nobody is going to give up an existing job to take on a 2 month temp job trying to do what clearly cannot be done in that timescale. I cant help thinking that everything going on at CDC relating to DSA is smoke and mirrors. Nothing is as it seems or as its portrayed.

Some poor soul will be wasting their time applying for an already taken job then as the Mechanic says so, and what he says goes apparently. If the advert is still live, I doubt Triumph would be very happy about him letting the cat out of the bag!

Not a clue, like I say knowing how the public sector work they’ve probably had someone lined up/head hunted and had to do the usual of advertising for the position even though it’s already been filled. This is unless the mechanic has got the wrong end of the stick and that they’ve had an application from an ex EMA employee. Because they’re not named we don’t know their credentials, there’s a chance they could have been at DSA before?

Either way the fact (and it is a fact now) that they have all ignored airlines advice shows that they’re not going to stop here. If Coppard approves the cash (and it looks like he’s going to) then the airport is going to reopen regardless whether they have any airlines signed up or not.

Still makes me laugh the die hard followers believe this will in turn bring their holiday prices down (because peel charged too much) (apparently)... it really doesn't work like that. wake up, its worrying how some peoples brains or lack off.. work.

They’re going to be disappointed unless they can get easyJet in on a long term deal with a big commitment, cos most of the others appear to have told them how it is.

 

Still want to know what Christian Foster means when he says that the airport has to feel and operate differently to last time. It could be interpreted in many ways but it’s clearly another sly dig at Peel and their apparent incompetence.

I read it as tacit acknowledgement that a reopened airport will have to have substantial revenue streams other than passenger services, if it doesn’t want to get straight back to losing £10m/year.

 

I read it as tacit acknowledgement that a reopened airport will have to have substantial revenue streams other than passenger services, if it doesn’t want to get straight back to losing £10m/year.

Whilst that’s true, not sure that’s what he meant judging by his previous statements which were largely along the lines of ‘it needs 5 or more airlines’ this assuming that Peel didn’t try to attract and retain that number of airline partners previously.

He should of course be admitting that substantial revenue streams will be required, so goodbye cheaper parking and Wetherspoons prices in the bar for a start!

 

Whilst that’s true, not sure that’s what he meant judging by his previous statements which were largely along the lines of ‘it needs 5 or more airlines’ this assuming that Peel didn’t try to attract and retain that number of airline partners previously.

He should of course be admitting that substantial revenue streams will be required, so goodbye cheaper parking and Wetherspoons prices in the bar for a start!

I wonder what the Facebook supporters will make of expensive parking / drop off fees and more expensive F&B?

It’s evident airlines do not price their flights and holidays based on what an airline charges, it’s a factor but it’s purely down to supply and demand / load factor of the flights which influences it. I remember booking some Wizz ALC flights from DSA for £60 return pp.. what does that suggest? Empty flights. And yes they got cancelled (shock)

 

Still makes me laugh the die hard followers believe this will in turn bring their holiday prices down (because peel charged too much) (apparently)... it really doesn't work like that. wake up, its worrying how some peoples brains or lack off.. work.

I have to confess to a slightly guilty pleasure of responding to die-hard DSAers on social media with hard realities. Including one recent post where someone had posted that "they" should close LBA, and that LBA had no way to expand. I asked who the poster imaged "they" were that would be closing a successful operation, but with no response unsurprisingly.

But the priceless thing was, this was on a recent article about the expanded terminal building opening! Social media does weird things to some people's minds!

 

But the priceless thing was, this was on a recent article about the expanded terminal building opening! Social media does weird things to some people's minds!

What social media doesn't do is endow
some people with brains, intelligence or common sense.

 

I have to confess to a slightly guilty pleasure of responding to die-hard DSAers on social media with hard realities. Including one recent post where someone had posted that "they" should close LBA, and that LBA had no way to expand. I asked who the poster imaged "they" were that would be closing a successful operation, but with no response unsurprisingly.

But the priceless thing was, this was on a recent article about the expanded terminal building opening! Social media does weird things to some people's minds!

There’s two things at play; cognitive dissonance and the Dunning-Kruger effect.

Before social media people had limited ways of gaining knowledge on a subject, they’d mostly rely on mainstream media and newspapers/books to get their information. Personal anecdotes rarely spread very far. Problem is these days people can post their own facts on social media and it’s available to anyone with access to the internet, ironically there is so much reputable resource available to anyone with the internet that lays out the facts and data in most scenarios, yet people choose not to look at it even if you hand it to them on a plate. People like the easiest explanation, particularly if the facts go against their strong belief.. This is why you get people so entrenched in conspiracy theories much like the belief that Peel had ulterior motives..

It’s not just this topic but it’s causing real damage in mainstream politics where ideas that were previously deemed fringe and in some cases lunacy are now literally driving the policies of Governments. It’s quite frightening when you think about it.

 

There’s two things at play; cognitive dissonance and the Dunning-Kruger effect.

Before social media people had limited ways of gaining knowledge on a subject, they’d mostly rely on mainstream media and newspapers/books to get their information. Personal anecdotes rarely spread very far. Problem is these days people can post their own facts on social media and it’s available to anyone with access to the internet, ironically there is so much reputable resource available to anyone with the internet that lays out the facts and data in most scenarios, yet people choose not to look at it even if you hand it to them on a plate. People like the easiest explanation, particularly if the facts go against their strong belief.. This is why you get people so entrenched in conspiracy theories much like the belief that Peel had ulterior motives..

It’s not just this topic but it’s causing real damage in mainstream politics where ideas that were previously deemed fringe and in some cases lunacy are now literally driving the policies of Governments. It’s quite frightening when you think about it.

Indeed, there's actually a very good Netflix documentary on this subject called "The Social Dilemma". It basically covers how social media not only takes over people's lives, but how it distorts people's views on the world through anecdotal evidence, confirmation bias and deliberate misinformation. It's pretty jarring to watch because a lot of the commentators are people who have worked in the social media field.

Watching this makes it easy to understand how people blindly refuse to acknowledge things like Peel did not deliberately sink hundreds of millions into DSA in order for it to fail.

 

So the Doncaster Free Press has had an update from the upmost expert on aviation in the UK, aka “The mechanic”. He is clearing up the issue in the airspace stating “Even though we had our petition to try and reinstate the airspace with over 16,300 signatures and support from our MPs and others in Government, it became apparent that if the Secretary of State for transport called in the decision, the legal argument and the timescale involved would not give City of Doncaster Council the opportunities they wanted. While these discussions were taking place, it became apparent that the Civil Aviation Authority and the Department for Transport were offering to work with everyone involved to fast track the application.“

The article also states “
other positive news we've heard is the appointment of a new Director of Operations at DSA. The successful applicant has experience in aviation with a proven history, having come from East Midlands Airport”

I’m interesting in people’s view on the “fast track”. Why would the CAA do this?

 

So the Doncaster Free Press has had an update from the upmost expert on aviation in the UK, aka “The mechanic”. He is clearing up the issue in the airspace stating “Even though we had our petition to try and reinstate the airspace with over 16,300 signatures and support from our MPs and others in Government, it became apparent that if the Secretary of State for transport called in the decision, the legal argument and the timescale involved would not give City of Doncaster Council the opportunities they wanted. While these discussions were taking place, it became apparent that the Civil Aviation Authority and the Department for Transport were offering to work with everyone involved to fast track the application.“

The article also states “
other positive news we've heard is the appointment of a new Director of Operations at DSA. The successful applicant has experience in aviation with a proven history, having come from East Midlands Airport”

I’m interesting in people’s view on the “fast track”. Why would the CAA do this?

Unlikely, this is the official line from the CAA:

ACP-2022-082Doncaster airport closed on 18th Nov 2022 and all relevant existing airspace
structures (ATZ / CTR /CTA) were temporarily dis-established by NOTAM.
City of Doncaster Council are pursuing a re-opening of the airport and
requested that the removal of airspace structures be maintained as
‘temporary’, thus allowing them to be re-introduced more easily.
The CAA contended that the airspace should be permanently removed, citing
among other things that Airspace requirements are an intrinsic part of aiport
evolution and there should be no assumptions made that the current
airspace design would be safe, efficient, and appropriate. The CAA further
stated that “there can be no assumptions made at this time that Controlled
Airspace is even required.”
Permission to appeal to the Secretary of State was denied

An AIC will be published in due course.

Nothing will be getting ‘fast tracked’ as there is currently no sponsor. The airport will need to reopen and then make a case for airspace as/when there is a business need compelling enough for the CAA to entertain it.

The Mechanic has changed tone a bit, it’s now almost as if passenger flights would be a bonus and not an intrinsic part of the reopened airports core business.

Strange that none of the politicians have announced this supposed coup of appointing an ops director, even though the job advert has only been live a week he’d announced it by Thursday.

 

Here's the ACL report for Slots at DSA:
" "

 

So the Doncaster Free Press has had an update from the upmost expert on aviation in the UK, aka “The mechanic”. He is clearing up the issue in the airspace stating “Even though we had our petition to try and reinstate the airspace with over 16,300 signatures and support from our MPs and others in Government, it became apparent that if the Secretary of State for transport called in the decision, the legal argument and the timescale involved would not give City of Doncaster Council the opportunities they wanted. While these discussions were taking place, it became apparent that the Civil Aviation Authority and the Department for Transport were offering to work with everyone involved to fast track the application.“

The article also states “
other positive news we've heard is the appointment of a new Director of Operations at DSA. The successful applicant has experience in aviation with a proven history, having come from East Midlands Airport”

I’m interesting in people’s view on the “fast track”. Why would the CAA do this?

Fast track for the CAA is about 2 years!

There's nothing to fast track at present. No clue as to what DSA will become. They aren't going to make the same mistake again and allocate a ridiculously large airspace that negatively impacts on neighbouring airports. The Mechanic is, in my view, making it up as he goes along, desperate to paint a positive picture and save face.

I've yet to see Ros Jones saying much since the minister declined to call it in.

 

Unlikely, this is the official line from the CAA:



Nothing will be getting ‘fast tracked’ as there is currently no sponsor. The airport will need to reopen and then make a case for airspace as/when there is a business need compelling enough for the CAA to entertain it.

The Mechanic has changed tone a bit, it’s now almost as if passenger flights would be a bonus and not an intrinsic part of the reopened airports core business.

Strange that none of the politicians have announced this supposed coup of appointing an ops director, even though the job advert has only been live a week he’d announced it by Thursday.

Depending upon which Recruitment Agency site one looks at, the temporary appointment is for 2 months on some, 6 months on others. The qualification required (amongst other things) is a Batchelors Degree in Aviation Management and an expertise in anything and everything associated with running an airport where normally you would probably have specialised departments. The closing date for applications is 29th June and a couple of sites say they take down the ad. if an appointment has been made. It all seems very odd indeed when FP airports (one assumes aided and abetted by MAI) are supposedly doing this in the shorter term. Certainly a change of tone on the campaign site where questioning voices are now being firmly despatched to the naughty chair - debate on questionable issues not allowed - and opening has been mentioned discreetly by the boss as 2026 OR 2027 (as alluded to by the Doncaster Chamber of Commerce) but of course no update from the Mayor who it seems together with meddling politicians has dug a very deep hole that folk are now peering into wanting answers.

 

There are some interesting discussions/arguments on the SOU and BOH threads on the DFF regarding which airport is best and which ideally suits the needs of the local area best. One is well located (SOU) catchment area wise with the other (BOH) more likely to be able to expand and more comfortably handled LCC's.

I personally draw some similarities from the LBA/DSA scenarios that some go on about. But the stark reality here is there is only one of these airports open, one that is thriving and one that will continue to expand and thrive until such a time the other possibly reopens (or actually doesn't). Now without wanting to **** on anyone's bonfire, DSA is not needed and is the biggest waste of money going for any number of reasons already discussed. It really is time this vanity project was closed down once and for all so we can go back to discussing and supporting airports that are, and will continue to be, successful.

 

There are some interesting discussions/arguments on the SOU and BOH threads on the DFF regarding which airport is best and which ideally suits the needs of the local area best. One is well located (SOU) catchment area wise with the other (BOH) more likely to be able to expand and more comfortably handled LCC's.

I personally draw some similarities from the LBA/DSA scenarios that some go on about. But the stark reality here is there is only one of these airports open, one that is thriving and one that will continue to expand and thrive until such a time the other possibly reopens (or actually doesn't). Now without wanting to **** on anyone's bonfire, DSA is not needed and is the biggest waste of money going for any number of reasons already discussed. It really is time this vanity project was closed down once and for all so we can go back to discussing and supporting airports that are, and will continue to be, successful.

I think that 'they' are too far in now to be able to bin it and retain credibility - unless they can come up with spin that it is the Gateway East project that will provide the jobs and investment regardless whether the loss-leader airport is re-opened or not. The political problem of course is that the local holiday makers are probably oblivious to the cost and simply want their flights and having been 'spun' and even misled their expectation is high. There are hints that management of that expectation is starting to creep in!!

 

Here's the ACL report for Slots at DSA:
" "

I think that 'they' are too far in now to be able to bin it and retain credibility - unless they can come up with spin that it is the Gateway East project that will provide the jobs and investment regardless whether the loss-leader airport is re-opened or not. The political problem of course is that the local holiday makers are probably oblivious to the cost and simply want their flights and having been 'spun' and even misled their expectation is high. There are hints that management of that expectation is starting to creep in!!

That’s already there, not sure who feeds info to the mechanic but he seems to be pushing that passenger flights aren’t as important narrative. Freight is to be their growth apparently, remains to be seen.

 

That’s already there, not sure who feeds info to the mechanic but he seems to be pushing that passenger flights aren’t as important narrative. Freight is to be their growth apparently, remains to be seen.

Yes, I have noticed this also. The tone is changing towards freight. I’m guessing the mechanic must also know that it’s unlikely to open to holiday passengers next year, and that will slowly feed into his posts.

It’s a shame people are being lied to. An old lady posted she had been delaying her holiday until summer next year, as it’s easier for her to fly from Doncaster. I did feel for her, she is getting feed this information from what she thinks is a reputable source, the Mayor, doncaster chambers etc,