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...?

 

Lee Pitcher gaslighting the public again posting a photo of him and the Mayor standing in front of a jet 2 stand at the Labour conference…..just how gullible do you think the public are to believe you can negotiate with airlines….

 

Lee Pitcher gaslighting the public again posting a photo of him and the Mayor standing in front of a jet 2 stand at the Labour conference…..just how gullible do you think the public are to believe you can negotiate with airlines….

I wonder if Jet2 are aware they’ve been posing next to a Jet2 banner giving the illusion that they’ve been in discussions. I’m getting Ben Houchen vibes from it all.

Free advertising I suppose, but for anyone interested in why jet2 were there;

https://www.jet2.com/news/2024/09/Jet2_presents_its_manifesto_for_economic_growth_at_Labour_Party_Conference_

 

I wonder if Jet2 are aware they’ve been posing next to a Jet2 banner giving the illusion that they’ve been in discussions. I’m getting Ben Houchen vibes from it all.

Free advertising I suppose, but for anyone interested in why jet2 were there;

https://www.jet2.com/news/2024/09/Jet2_presents_its_manifesto_for_economic_growth_at_Labour_Party_Conference_

Steve Heapy co presented this event at the conference with the West Yorkshire Mayor, Tracey Brabin. After her recent positive comments about the development of LBA, and now this, she's in danger of looking like she supports LBA and all who fly there, so she may have a strop if she thought her South Yorkshire Mayor counterpart was trying to steal a Leeds based airline from 'her' airport.

 

Steve Heapy co presented this event at the conference with the West Yorkshire Mayor, Tracey Brabin. After her recent positive comments about the development of LBA, and now this, she's in danger of looking like she supports LBA and all who fly there, so she may have a strop if she thought her South Yorkshire Mayor counterpart was trying to steal a Leeds based airline from 'her' airport.

I doubt it came to that, she has to support employment and Jef2 are now a major Leeds name in the U.K. and a significant employer who do tend to pay pretty well.

No doubt Ros Jones and her fellow politicians had a chat with Steve Heapy about their plans for DSA, and I’m sure he entertained them for a bit. Doesn’t mean they’re going to fly from there.

 

Without wanting to annoy anyone following the discussions elsewhere in the past 24 hours, one of the ones pretending to be in the know has posted elsewhere that Jet2 reps made a ‘flying visit’ to ‘DSA’ this week…

Is this the same week where Jet2 reps attended the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool and Ros Jones and her MP pals decided to get a picture next to a Jet2 banner to misinform people?

The guy doesn’t have a clue.

 

Without wanting to annoy anyone following the discussions elsewhere in the past 24 hours, one of the ones pretending to be in the know has posted elsewhere that Jet2 reps made a ‘flying visit’ to ‘DSA’ this week…

Is this the same week where Jet2 reps attended the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool and Ros Jones and her MP pals decided to get a picture next to a Jet2 banner to misinform people?

The guy doesn’t have a clue.

Sorry but . I’ve just seen that post, The guy has zero credibility and has just shown how out of touch he is with the industry. DSA made overtures to Jet2 ever since it opened with subsidies and even free hangar space, it all failed. There is no incentive attractive enough for them to even consider moving their ops from LBA to DSA….Just image the staff costs of relocation/re-employing /redundancy costs to all the thousands staff at LBA. On top of that the majority of their market is local to the Leeds/Bradford area who more likely then not would simply chose MAN over DSA…..

Steve Heapy co presented this event at the conference with the West Yorkshire Mayor, Tracey Brabin. After her recent positive comments about the development of LBA, and now this, she's in danger of looking like she supports LBA and all who fly there, so she may have a strop if she thought her South Yorkshire Mayor counterpart was trying to steal a Leeds based airline from 'her' airport.

Just an add to some of this political jiggery pokery - I do know that Steve H and LBA have now had a number of meetings with both Tracy Brabin and Leeds MP Rachel Reeves who seemed to have done a complete 180 on LBA and now fully back it….strange how your views change when going from opposition to actually being accountable to achieving growth! I’d put more faith in those meetings than posing for a photo in front of a trade stand……

 

Sorry but . I’ve just seen that post, The guy has zero credibility and has just shown how out of touch he is with the industry. DSA made overtures to Jet2 ever since it opened with subsidies and even free hangar space, it all failed. There is no incentive attractive enough for them to even consider moving their ops from LBA to DSA….Just image the staff costs of relocation/re-employing /redundancy costs to all the thousands staff at LBA. On top of that the majority of their market is local to the Leeds/Bradford area who more likely then not would simply chose MAN over DSA…..

Only word of caution here.. PM has gone, he was the one dead set against DSA including some rather humorous anecdotes of his indifference to it which I won’t share here.

However gone he has and now we have a new team who maybe won’t consider the heritage of the company quite so much.

Not suggesting it’ll happen, and I do not believe the person typing that out has any credibility whatsoever, but generally speaking it’s not as unlikely as some may believe.

 

Only word of caution here.. PM has gone, he was the one dead set against DSA including some rather humorous anecdotes of his indifference to it which I won’t share here.

However gone he has and now we have a new team who maybe won’t consider the heritage of the company quite so much.

Not suggesting it’ll happen, and I do not believe the person typing that out has any credibility whatsoever, but generally speaking it’s not as unlikely as some may believe.

All the suggestions are that IF DSA reopens it will be open by 2026. Jet2s Steve Heapy has just made a statement highlighting that 2026 sees a record number of flights from LBA. That's somewhat unlikely if they were considering operations from DSA too. We know Jet2 dont do W legs, so if they fly from DSA it will be a base. Opening a base with less than 3 aircraft is often not financially viable, but all past evidence, and the recent LBA announcement, suggest a 3 aircraft base at DSA would be a huge risk, and one that they simply do not have to take.

 

Steve Heapy co presented this event at the conference with the West Yorkshire Mayor, Tracey Brabin. After her recent positive comments about the development of LBA, and now this, she's in danger of looking like she supports LBA and all who fly there, so she may have a strop if she thought her South Yorkshire Mayor counterpart was trying to steal a Leeds based airline from 'her' airport.

MPs in airline talks at Labour conference as Doncaster Airport fight goes on

Doncaster’s MPs and mayor have revealed they have been in talks with airlines at the Labour Party conference as the fight to re-open Doncaster Sheffield Airport goes on.

www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk

 

MPs in airline talks at Labour conference as Doncaster Airport fight goes on

Doncaster’s MPs and mayor have revealed they have been in talks with airlines at the Labour Party conference as the fight to re-open Doncaster Sheffield Airport goes on.

www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk

I believe that article to be mostly conjecture and the photo opportunity was designed to purposefully misinform.

They keep saying they have had discussions with airlines and then mention Airlines UK which is a Government pressure group and NOT an airline or airline consultancy business.

It’s the usual political narrative of we’re doing something.

Regarding Oliver Coppard being pressed on it in an interview recently, he was very vague and non committal to a timeframe, he did claim Doncaster are working with an Operator but it was said through gritted teeth, and from what has been said by people claiming to be involved with SYMCA, its consensus that they aren’t getting the interest they claimed they were going to get. Whether that’s true or not remains to be seen, when we will find out is anyone’s guess!

 

MPs in airline talks at Labour conference as Doncaster Airport fight goes on

Doncaster’s MPs and mayor have revealed they have been in talks with airlines at the Labour Party conference as the fight to re-open Doncaster Sheffield Airport goes on.

www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk

Not quite sure what you are suggesting by posting that DSA publicity story again on this thread LBAYORKIE. By not putting any words with your post it is just conjecture that we are left with but I think that if you are suggesting that Jet2 are going to up sticks to Donnie then I think you will be more or less on your own.

 

Has CDC/ SYMCA been to any of the Routes conferences regarding DSA reopening.

 

I feel sure that if Ros Jones and her mates tried chatting up Steve Heapy at the Labour Conference, he would have listened politely and that's all. The presence of Steve and a few Jet2 banners must have looked like publicity manner from heaven for Ros Jones and a few photos are enough to have the mechanic and chums all excited.

 

Has CDC/ SYMCA been to any of the Routes conferences regarding DSA reopening.

No, and they shouldn’t either because they need to let the expert operator handle all that stuff and focus their attention on making sure streetlights are working and the grass is cut.

 

No, and they shouldn’t either because they need to let the expert operator handle all that stuff and focus their attention on making sure streetlights are working and the grass is cut.

Hope that includes the grass growing on the DSA runway too.

 

Turfish Airlines will get the grass sorted. And anyone with a Light aircraft should be able to sort the electricity! That's probably about as much as is truly going to be needed in all this

 

Not quite sure what you are suggesting by posting that DSA publicity story again on this thread LBAYORKIE. By not putting any words with your post it is just conjecture that we are left with but I think that if you are suggesting that Jet2 are going to up sticks to Donnie then I think you will be more or less on your own.

How do you mean again, was it posted previously?

 

How do you mean again, was it posted previously?

Well I read it on another thread somewhere that you,I think, posted, although I seem to remember that some posts were moved from the LBA forum to DSA It may have been one of those. By the way, seeing as I currently have your attention, do you think that Jet2 might move to a base at DSA? The article you posted inferred that was a possibility.

 

Well I read it on another thread somewhere that you,I think, posted, although I seem to remember that some posts were moved from the LBA forum to DSA It may have been one of those. By the way, seeing as I currently have your attention, do you think that Jet2 might move to a base at DSA? The article you posted inferred that was a possibility.

I felt the post was relevant to the LBA and DSA threads, hence I posted it on both. I think the article was largely 'spin'. Having said that you never know with Jet2.

 

Quite. It would have been more enlightening though if your thoughts had been mentioned in the original post, as they now have been, after some prompting. We are all entitled to our opinions. That is what these forums are for don't you think, and yes everything is possible as you say, but in this case probably unlikely..