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...?

 

Oliver Coppard's recent statements and the tone of his Q&A make a fully positive decision to reopen the airport less likely than it has been. His remarks are a clear signal that the project is in a more precarious financial position than previously thought.

The key points that make a positive decision seem less probable are:

The Viability of the Business Case​

Coppard's most critical admission is that the "lower end of [passenger] forecasts" has the potential to "undermine the viability" of the project. This is a direct challenge to the central premise of the plan and reveals that even with public funding, the airport's core business model may not be self-sustaining. This is a major step back from previous confident statements.

The Delayed Timeline​

The public announcement that commercial passenger flights are unlikely until 2028 is a significant recalibration of expectations. It suggests that a full, commercially viable reopening is not imminent and that the process of securing airline partners has either been difficult or has not yet truly begun. This long timeline also makes the project more vulnerable to future market changes and legal challenges.

The Shift in Narrative​

Coppard's consistent shift in focus from a passenger airport to a "sustainable aviation hub" is a clear signal that the project's justification is changing. While he may still vote to release the funding on September 9th, it will likely be for a different type of project than what was originally promised. It is now less about a quick win for holidaymakers and more about a long-term economic development plan with a different, and more complex, set of risks

AI can only work with what it’s got but it does so in a completely unbiased way (depending on how things are asked).

I asked ‘given the recent statements made by Oliver Coppard in relation to the reopening of DSA, is a positive decision more likely or less likely on 9th September’.

The above was the response in entirety.

 

No lights, no ILS, no ATC, no air space , can’t even see it operating anytime soon only 2 excels playground. What a waste of money eh. But no they technically have opened the airport!

Cmon Chadwick get another spin on it!

2028 is a long way away, I seriously doubt any new airlines will be on the scene and no doubt the industry a lot more competitive. Still can’t see 5 airlines let alone anymore than 1 that would be interested in holidays flights. Business flights? Nope.

 

Quite telling that beginning of the YP Q&A session. Coppard says there is no guarantee that the decision will be made on September 9th, it could be made at a further date. So he is opening the door to a decision being pushed to later in the year or even into next year.

Plus other comments he has made in last couple of days, it doesn't bode any confidence.

Especially since MAI has removed their post of DSA on their Munich Airport Facebook page that was posted in February. So with that removed from their own page that certainly puts doubt whether they are still involved going forward. Why would they remove their own post if they are still involved. Have they been given a heads up of what the decision is, hence them deciding to remove the post. That certainly shouts volumes if a partner removes their own post about participation.

I doubt that they have put in place the people required in the right positions to be able to gain certifications. So if they have gone without the people in positions, then unless they have brought in someone else then it is highly unlikely it will proceed.

He says everything is being done at great pace and that even though other airports that have sold in past couple of years is not in the same playing field as what the situation is at DSA. What absolute cobblers that is.

 

It sounds very much to me that the "correct" political decision would be to re-open ASAP, and throw money at it in the hope that by 2028 (well into the next GE campaigning) they will have coaxed enough passenger capacity to at least keep it alive until the beginning of the next decade. But it also sounds like Coppard really doesn't have the financial case to fully open, presumably because the industry he describes as "remorseless" has in reality indicated that it sees little in the way of profitability in the operation.

This is probably the worst case scenario here. If he and CDC were fully confident about getting airlines in, he'd be preparing the room for a full opening and commercial operations ASAP. Conversely if he were being allowed to make a decision without any political leaning or prejudice, he'd be prepping the public for the bad news. But instead they are stuck in the abyss between political aspirations and commercial reality. The politicians need DSA to demonstrate at least once they stuck to their promises, but they are staring at a cold, hard commercial reality that DSA isn't going to make money.

I think @pug's assessment of the situation is right, DSA will open in some guise if for no other reason than to give the illusion of a win. Sadly this will probably lead to years of struggling and throwing good money after bad, with possibly a few punts at a handful of routes before sometime after the next GE the decision to abandon the project again will be made. Maybe if they are lucky, the Labour politicians trying to push this through will have a different government / council to blame by then.

 

It sounds very much to me that the "correct" political decision would be to re-open ASAP, and throw money at it in the hope that by 2028 (well into the next GE campaigning) they will have coaxed enough passenger capacity to at least keep it alive until the beginning of the next decade. But it also sounds like Coppard really doesn't have the financial case to fully open, presumably because the industry he describes as "remorseless" has in reality indicated that it sees little in the way of profitability in the operation.

This is probably the worst case scenario here. If he and CDC were fully confident about getting airlines in, he'd be preparing the room for a full opening and commercial operations ASAP. Conversely if he were being allowed to make a decision without any political leaning or prejudice, he'd be prepping the public for the bad news. But instead they are stuck in the abyss between political aspirations and commercial reality. The politicians need DSA to demonstrate at least once they stuck to their promises, but they are staring at a cold, hard commercial reality that DSA isn't going to make money.

I think @pug's assessment of the situation is right, DSA will open in some guise if for no other reason than to give the illusion of a win. Sadly this will probably lead to years of struggling and throwing good money after bad, with possibly a few punts at a handful of routes before sometime after the next GE the decision to abandon the project again will be made. Maybe if they are lucky, the Labour politicians trying to push this through will have a different government / council to blame by then.

The problem is that to commence commercial passenger flights, they are going to have to spend most, if not all, of that £150m. Runway lighting, runway repairs, terminal fit out, fire equipment, staff recruitment and training, ATC equipment, baggage scanners, car parking equipment, public transport contracts, and the rest. The list is extensive and expensive. Do they commit to all of that when they have perhaps little in the way of commitment from airlines to fly there. Its hard to see which airlines would other than TUi perhaps, but even they are now tending to rely increasingly on partner airlines. Its doubtful they have aircraft available to reopen a base and even they must be wary that DSA mk 2 could once again fail.

Peel said DSA needed 3 million pax per year to break even. That's the same number of passengers as LBA has had so far in 2025. LBA, has up to 60 flights per day/120 movements. Mostly 737s Airbus, and ATR72. At its peak, DSA mk1 had perhaps 15-20 flights per day in summer, far less in winter. Where are they ever going to get sufficient flights to even get close to 3m psssengers?

OC stated that he needs assurance that sufficient passenger throughput can be achieved within a timescale to make the airport self sufficient before the public money runs out. In the current climate, that's highly unlikely. He talked a lot sbout freight too but he never even acknowledged the presence of EMA as a major freight hub which is only going to grow. So who is going to invest in freight?

What's clear is that they are trying every which way to get the numbers to stack up and all the indicators are that they don't. Quel surprise!

OC mentioned that the decision isn't his alone. He has auditors who have the power to say 'no, this is not going to work, you can't do this' and the decision has to be taken by all the members of the SYMA.

 

Quite telling that beginning of the YP Q&A session. Coppard says there is no guarantee that the decision will be made on September 9th, it could be made at a further date. So he is opening the door to a decision being pushed to later in the year or even into next year.

Plus other comments he has made in last couple of days, it doesn't bode any confidence.

Especially since MAI has removed their post of DSA on their Munich Airport Facebook page that was posted in February. So with that removed from their own page that certainly puts doubt whether they are still involved going forward. Why would they remove their own post if they are still involved. Have they been given a heads up of what the decision is, hence them deciding to remove the post. That certainly shouts volumes if a partner removes their own post about participation.

I doubt that they have put in place the people required in the right positions to be able to gain certifications. So if they have gone without the people in positions, then unless they have brought in someone else then it is highly unlikely it will proceed.

He says everything is being done at great pace and that even though other airports that have sold in past couple of years is not in the same playing field as what the situation is at DSA. What absolute cobblers that is.

Maybe MIA have been dismissed for now as commercial flights not expected until 2028 there isn't any need for them at the moment? Perhaps they would start again 2027. Just a thought, but the time scales are that far away now its even less unlikely.

Perhaps the DSA gang will now book their 2026 holidays now they cant book DSA. I wonder if the airlines have had an influx of bookings from that postcode? I doubt it.

Chadwick's spin on everything is so ironic, "Don't believe the papers" Digging at Yorkshire Post but not Doncaster Free Press which is posting the same stories. Ironic. Always pushing the anti Leeds agenda. Doesn't Chadwick himself believe everything in the paper about other airlines and airports. These arm chair aviation experts who believe Emirates want in, Virgin wanted exclusive use, Jet2 was going to buy it, nothing but laughable. The harsh reality is.. there's not business case for the airport. The private sector not touching with a barge pole. Come Sept 9th, the airport is officially open because 2 Excel are flying light aircraft from there.. that's it.

Business Jets in? What GA facticity is there? and is there that much demand for private jets in DSA regular? I doubt.

 

@White Heather I wonder whether any potential auditor findings would be anything other than advisory when it comes to the final decision? All an auditor can do is recommend based on the level of risk, but it’ll be up to the SYMCA board to say yes/no and at the moment all indications are that they’ll say yes because ultimately the financial burden rests only with the CDC and not the other unitary authorities, but they’d be compelled to agree to it on the basis that it would have regional benefits.

@alpha.alpha Coppard mentioned in the Q&A yesterday some of the business that’s been lost when asked what the damage to the region had been when the airport closed. He could only think of 2Excel who had to bolthole aircraft elsewhere (but keep their operational functions at DSA) and a couple of flight schools. Far as I’m aware there were no job losses resulting from those companies relocating, in fact I know there weren’t in the case of Aeros who have a strategic partnership with another school at Leeds East and have even taken the ATPL Groundschool In- house now.

Obviously some job losses resulted from the airport closing directly, hopefully these people have doing employment elsewhere, I have worked with a couple of them before I moved on myself.

 

i think even for non-aviation people like myself, 2026 was unrealistic.
the broshures are out for 2026 , and you can book your holiday now for 2026.
mr chadwick as done a fantastic job of highlighing the demand for an airport in south yorkshire.
but is understanding of the airlines is zero.
no one knows what is going to happen, until OC makes the annoucement.
he is damping expectations, i think because he wants whatever he says to be "big news".

 

i think even for non-aviation people like myself, 2026 was unrealistic.
the broshures are out for 2026 , and you can book your holiday now for 2026.
mr chadwick as done a fantastic job of highlighing the demand for an airport in south yorkshire.
but is understanding of the airlines is zero.
no one knows what is going to happen, until OC makes the annoucement.
he is damping expectations, i think because he wants whatever he says to be "big news".

2026 would only be unrealistic because of the work up required to get the airport into a position where it could be compliant. It would not be too late if, for example, easyjet had been wanting to open a base next year because they’d still have plenty of lead in time after a September decision.

He’s not dampening expectations for a ‘big news’ announcement. He’s altering the narrative to manage expectations and sell the reopening as a part of a package to increase economic prosperity by investing in the ‘right’ things, but has said that commercial passenger flights can not be the focus. It’s hard to interpret either way, but you have to do so through political nuance. He was very good at saying a lot but not really providing any detail whatsoever, I believe the technical term is ‘strategic ambiguity’.

 

i think even for non-aviation people like myself, 2026 was unrealistic.
the broshures are out for 2026 , and you can book your holiday now for 2026.
mr chadwick as done a fantastic job of highlighing the demand for an airport in south yorkshire.
but is understanding of the airlines is zero.
no one knows what is going to happen, until OC makes the annoucement.
he is damping expectations, i think because he wants whatever he says to be "big news".

I don't think airline understanding is zero, it's the other way around.. the demand is more zero. He has highlighted a few people wanting their annual Benidorm holiday from DSA and few random nearby business saying it might be beneficial for them to have it opened.

 

Interesting the statement from Doncaster Council once again the airport is effectively reopened already due to 2Excel boltholing some aircraft there, and that it was always going to be a staged return.

I feel at the moment that Coppard might approve some of the money to get the ball rolling and we see a situation like Leeds East where the airfield is open but it’s not an airport in the sense of what it was before. There may be a longer term plan to mobilise and acquire assets to see commercial flights return but they would be on the proviso that demand existed at a given time.

It is as we thought though, he wants the airport to be viable and so he wants to say yes, but clearly there is weight in evidence to highlight risks inherent in it that may far outweigh any positive spin that whoever has devised the plan would be able to mitigate.

So I still think it will be a yes in September, bit perhaps not the Yes that the SaveDSA people would like.

Needless to say the mechanic appears to have tried putting a positive spin on it without sharing the article concerned. Claims to have spoken to aviation experts who are ‘astounded’ with the progress that’s already been made.

I agree that this might be the 'political' short term decision that he might take also as @Seasider and others allude to. Give everyone a little bit of something as a GA field to give the impression of progress and the holidaymakers something to hang on to. Given a projected timetable for a 'stepped' approach if he has no firm interest in freight or passenger operators at this stage even 2028 might seem optimistic! The catch 22 mid term is whether or not the project can afford incentives to operators - give incentives make little (if any) money and indeed whether any structure for doing that might fall foul of legal challenge. The lease is ticking on - expensive for just a GA field - and what is actually in the lease - minimum passenger numbers required to avoid triggering the break clause???
A very complex situation for OC to unravel given his legal obligations on one side and the substantially uninformed baying mob on the other.
Of course - if he doesn't have the full information by September 9th (and I find it hard to believe he hasn't already) he has hinted he might delay the decision further.

 

i think even for non-aviation people like myself, 2026 was unrealistic.
the broshures are out for 2026 , and you can book your holiday now for 2026.
mr chadwick as done a fantastic job of highlighing the demand for an airport in south yorkshire.
but is understanding of the airlines is zero.
no one knows what is going to happen, until OC makes the annoucement.
he is damping expectations, i think because he wants whatever he says to be "big news".

Come on now let’s be real. Mark Chadwick helped raise awareness in the immediate aftermath but I actually think in the long term his group has causes harm to the campaign. Any airlines/investors/operators that might have been looking at DSA would have seen that despite over 100,000 members, the regular contributors to his group probably fall within 100. Even with the excess of 100,000 people who have clicked “follow” or “like” because they have half an interest, those people need to fly many times a year to get DSA back to where it was, nevermind create something that will at least sustain itself. The airlines/investors/operators will have seen all this. As Doncaster born and bred, I understand that the traditional pit communities of Doncaster have an attitude that the world owes them and more than that, that everything should be available to them on their doorstep, except their annual flight to Spain. I have experience in this when my in laws kicked off because we lived 12 miles away from them. I didn’t understand it then and don’t now. Personally I quite like to head to Manchester airport and find the operations of it and so many people from different areas and backgrounds fascinating. Many of the locals don’t understand the world at all and only their own communities, which were trashed when the pits closed. They can’t help their thoughts and views, but equally those thoughts and views don’t sustain an airport. You cannot win with these people as they aren’t capable of seeing common sense but they a de the first people that would kick off should DSA become a huge financial drain. Mark Chadwick doesn’t seem this extreme, but I have no doubt that a lot of his followers are. He also has the stubborn view that what is being said to him by CDC and OC etc is the gospel truth - he can’t see the spin on everything. The Labour Party are in a tight spot on this having been really very disingenuous with the electorate yet now having to face common sense. With Chadwick, a part of me feels sorry for him as he believes in Doncaster so much that he cannot see the reality or the spin. He will be the locals hero whatever though so he can rest happy with that

 

I think that’s a fair stance @Dsa-Realist, I know we sometimes call him ‘The Mechanic’ on here but actually he’s shown a lot of resilience over the years and has managed to keep the pressure on. In fact I would go as far to say if it wasn’t for that Facebook movement I fully believe this would have been kicked into the long grass well before now.

I don’t agree with him at all, nor do I agree with the way he goes about things, but I respect what he’s managed to achieve in fighting for his cause.

You see that same insular attitude in a number of Yorkshire/Lincolnshire towns. Though in some of those there is no positivity whatsoever and they’ve progressed from apparently waiting for someone to do something for them to now just seeing the World in a very binary us vs outsiders viewpoint. Places like Hull and Grimsby are at least ten years ahead in terms of decline. You have been warned you good folk of Doncaster!

Interesting opinion piece in the YP today and shared by Doncaster Free Press,

Doncaster Sheffield Airport reopening: what the mayor said and what it really means

The Mayor of South Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard, prefaced his speech regarding the possible reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport, to a gathered collective of business leaders, with an array of intangibles: pride, attachment, hope.

www.yorkshirepost.co.uk

Note the NB at the bottom, presumably aimed at the aforementioned as he has a habit of posting screenshots of the articles that are otherwise behind a paywall!

 

The problem is that to commence commercial passenger flights, they are going to have to spend most, if not all, of that £150m. Runway lighting, runway repairs, terminal fit out, fire equipment, staff recruitment and training, ATC equipment, baggage scanners, car parking equipment, public transport contracts, and the rest. The list is extensive and expensive. Do they commit to all of that when they have perhaps little in the way of commitment from airlines to fly there. Its hard to see which airlines would other than TUi perhaps, but even they are now tending to rely increasingly on partner airlines. Its doubtful they have aircraft available to reopen a base and even they must be wary that DSA mk 2 could once again fail.

Peel said DSA needed 3 million pax per year to break even. That's the same number of passengers as LBA has had so far in 2025. LBA, has up to 60 flights per day/120 movements. Mostly 737s Airbus, and ATR72. At its peak, DSA mk1 had perhaps 15-20 flights per day in summer, far less in winter. Where are they ever going to get sufficient flights to even get close to 3m psssengers?

OC stated that he needs assurance that sufficient passenger throughput can be achieved within a timescale to make the airport self sufficient before the public money runs out. In the current climate, that's highly unlikely. He talked a lot sbout freight too but he never even acknowledged the presence of EMA as a major freight hub which is only going to grow. So who is going to invest in freight?

What's clear is that they are trying every which way to get the numbers to stack up and all the indicators are that they don't. Quel surprise!

OC mentioned that the decision isn't his alone. He has auditors who have the power to say 'no, this is not going to work, you can't do this' and the decision has to be taken by all the members of the SYMA.

I've be trying to read Coppard's language on this, and he doesn't make it easy. On the one hand he seems to approach this with a lot more caution than CDC do, although the abandon that they show towards the actual numbers and risks means that's a pretty low bar. But I also get the impression that there is an undercurrent of political pressure to deliver this "win" for his party, not helped with Ministers seemingly backing the project without actually making many firm commitments.

I do think he knows and understands the risks here, this will be a purely publicly funded project trying to do something a privately funded venture couldn't. And as you say just the start-up cost is going to eat up all of Doncaster's Gainshare, and then some. Add to this the realisation that commercial operations would be years, not months away at best with profits little more than a pipe dream some time into the 2040s, and it's a seriously risky prospect especially when that money really could and should be used elsewhere.

So maybe Coppard is trying to tow the party line, but quietly hoping the auditors look at the numbers and throw it out. That way he can proclaim that he did his best, and it's someone else saying "Nope!". But I am still concerned that he'll shuffle just enough money DSA's way to keep paying the consultants and managers, as well as throw up some paint & new signs and organise a show-flight for the "DSA Saved" press event, then kick the main decision further down the road.

 

A big post on FB with him at LGW and trying to "learn from the best" with what info he has received as pretty basic imho. Now DSA fans think there is some sort collaboration (face palm) & also lets be pretty clear, politicians can not run and airport. Says it all really. Way out of their depth springs to mind.

 

A big post on FB with him at LGW and trying to "learn from the best" with what info he has received as pretty basic imho. Now DSA fans think there is some sort collaboration (face palm) & also lets be pretty clear, politicians can not run and airport. Says it all really. Way out of their depth springs to mind.

It’s designed to be misleading. There can be no parallels between DSA and LGW and the challenges a reopened DSA would face would be completely different. For a start LGW is within one of the worlds busiest aviation markets, DSA clearly was not. Why are they discussing retail and tech? The problem with DSA was getting passengers through the door not processing those passengers rapidly or efficiently because this is naturally something the airport did well at anyway.

In my view as one of the key decision makers he should not be using promotional gimmicks like this. There’s no wonder the SaveDSA site are clambering all over it after the Mechanic this morning put out a warning to the negative voices.

 

Why are they even talking to LGW? As an airport, there is no comparison. And why employ MAI to advise then go chatting to other airports that have nothing in common? Surely. IF you're going to talk to other airports, find one that has faced similar hurdles to DSA and overcome them.

Perhaps there aren't any!

 

This was the radio interview, ibteresting past 5 minutes when a question calls out Labour

 

This was the radio interview, ibteresting past 5 minutes when a question calls out Labour

I don’t care about the politics but he’s certainly being inconsistent in his messaging here. Just shows he’s torn more than anything.

 

I don’t care about the politics but he’s certainly being inconsistent in his messaging here. Just shows he’s torn more than anything.

Yes, after listening to his speech and tv interview I thought he had seen some sense, and realised passengers are not viable as a model, so they will go down GA route of some sort etc, with some sort of business plan. Now listening to this, he alludes to it going ahead but simply being phased