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...?

 

i was only reading what was written in the yorkshire post.
in the report does mean they are guessing when they say we understand ,they also got the year wrong?

Whilst the runway is of an adequate length, the runway last had pavement rehabilitation works carried
out in 2016/7 and we understand that this was only a relatively superficial resurface

Very much doubt they are guessing when members of the old DSA management team are on the panel York Aviation can call on…….
Now this report is out perhaps CDC will release at least some details of their business case - given the amount of public money involved there is a clear need for transparency, unless of course they aren’t confident in their numbers….

 

posted by the YP again

But The Yorkshire Post has seen a report submitted to the Government’s Subsidy Advice Unit by consultancy York Aviation on behalf of Leeds Bradford Airport which warns much more public money is likely to be required given the airport’s losses while under private ownership between 2005 and 2022.

Very much doubt they are guessing when members of the old DSA management team are on the panel York Aviation can call on…….
Now this report is out perhaps CDC will release at least some details of their business case - given the amount of public money involved there is a clear need for transparency, unless of course they aren’t confident in their numbers….

i think they are wrong, and thats why they worded like that

 

Apparently they didn’t commission the report. It’s said that YA submitted it off their own volition which is supposedly on the back of a request from the SAU themselves as YA are the principle advisor to the civil service on matters airport related. In this instance the YP appear to have got it wrong, which only serves to play into the hands of Chadwick and his followers which presumably includes yourself.

Every airport made a loss in the period 2020-22/3 because they were playing catchup from the catastrophic events of the years previous. I don’t understand why you’d mention that other than to imply that it returned to profit when DSA closed, which is just a coincidence not a causal factor. Undoubtedly though LBA has gained in DSAs demise and I don’t think anyone would question that, but this is because the market for DSA wasn’t strong enough. A point YA make in their report as the market hasn’t failed it just doesn’t really exist in the first place - it’s already well served by the incumbent airports.

rabbitfoot, you’ve not made one convincing argument for the airport in all the time you’ve been on here.

In one of the Save DSA groups that Chadwick has no involvement in there is a gent names Wai Ming Yau who appears to have been far quicker on some information than anyone else. He shared the YA report on Wednesday this week I think it was saying that LBA commissioned it. I don’t know how he has access to the information he has shared or the reality of if LBA commissioned the report or not. Either way it reads very badly for CDC and their lack of transparency doesn’t exactly help. I remain seriously worried about the projects that will not be able to happen for Doncaster if this goes ahead.

 

posted by the YP again

But The Yorkshire Post has seen a report submitted to the Government’s Subsidy Advice Unit by consultancy York Aviation on behalf of Leeds Bradford Airport which warns much more public money is likely to be required given the airport’s losses while under private ownership between 2005 and 2022.


i think they are wrong, and thats why they worded like that

Where does it say that YP has seen a YA report?
I am getting confused with some of the comments you are making without providing the evidence to support them.

 

Where does it say that YP has seen a YA report?
I am getting confused with some of the comments you are making without providing the evidence to support them.

? in the article

 

? in the article

For clarity can I remind all members to include links when referring to external information. Please view our quoting external sources info in the help pages.

Quoting Information From External Sources

Information about quoting information from external sources

forums4airports.com

 

i was only reading what was written in the yorkshire post.
in the report does mean they are guessing when they say we understand ,they also got the year wrong?

Whilst the runway is of an adequate length, the runway last had pavement rehabilitation works carried
out in 2016/7 and we understand that this was only a relatively superficial resurface

It doesn’t mean they are guessing, there were several remedial works completed on the runway. They have since assessed the site themselves just after it closed and confirmed themselves that there will be remedial work required which may include a complete resurfacing of the runway to satisfy the CAA as the airport will be applying for a licence as a new airport. Do any dispensation given previously will not be upheld.

Remember that the CAA are tasked with the safety of air passengers primarily and this is someting they take seriously. Costs are high for indemnity. It costs airlines £300.00 for a nut or bolt that you could pick up in B&Q for pennies, same applies to airports.

Where does it say that YP has seen a YA report?
I am getting confused with some of the comments you are making without providing the evidence to support them.

In one article by the YP it states that they have seen a report by YA that has been commissioned by LBA. It has since transpired that this is not the case, LBA apparently did not commission YA to submit a report on their behalf, they submitted their own evidence to the SAU. This needs confirmation but I understand from contacts that YA submitted it on request of the SAU.

The mechanic has recently posted a huge rant about the YA report - they’re biased and have always had it in for the airport apparently. He even calls Louise Congden a ‘gun for hire to the highest bidder’. I remember the abuse she got online when she was first interviewed regarding the closure, all of it personal. Nice.

Ryanair because they don’t want to lose passengers to competitors that are presumably forming a queue to operate from DSA.

The YP and media in general wanting it to fail.

Something tells me he’s seeing the empire crumble,

 

posted by the YP again

But The Yorkshire Post has seen a report submitted to the Government’s Subsidy Advice Unit by consultancy York Aviation on behalf of Leeds Bradford Airport which warns much more public money is likely to be required given the airport’s losses while under private ownership between 2005 and 2022.


i think they are wrong, and thats why they worded like that

Well if they are incorrect there the Council have the opportunity to counter this report by being transparent over their business case…..Now this report is in the public domain expect questions to be asked given the amount of funding especially from the green lobby on Sheffield Council…..They released this statement earlier in the week before they have visibility of this report….expect a lot more noise from those opposed to this use of public funds….https://sheffieldgreenparty.org.uk/2025/01/29/time-to-drop-airport-reopening-plans-says-green-councillor/

 

This video was posted on the Leeds forum but it is relevant here too.
Here was the response from MOL regarding flights from DSA and LBA.

 

Well if they are incorrect there the Council have the opportunity to counter this report by being transparent over their business case…..Now this report is in the public domain expect questions to be asked given the amount of funding especially from the green lobby on Sheffield Council…..

just want to make it clear im refering to the relatively superficial resurface

and maybe aggregate industries might disagree

 

just want to make it clear im refering to the relatively superficial resurface

and maybe aggregate industries might disagree

Just so I understand, who are you responding to here because what you’re saying has no relevance to Snackbars post?

 

Just so I understand, who are you responding to here because what you’re saying has no relevance to Snackbars post?

i was trying to explain i was talking about the resurfacing work

 

i was trying to explain i was talking about the resurfacing work

What about the resurfacing work? The last major resurfacing took place in FY16/17 at a cost of £6million.

The airport will be applying for a new licence, which will be at the discretion of of the CAA and may require investment over and above what has been supposedly allocated by CDC. Some of this will include work required on the runway and taxiways but also potentially a new Tower because they believe the current one is in disrepair and may not conform to modern standards.

If there’s any consultancy I would trust to know the idiosyncrasies of the U.K. aviation market it would be York Aviation. Their work on Manston airport shows the inadequacy of some other consultancy firms in the way they complete their viability, demand and growth forecasts.

Hope is not a strategy.

 

It doesn’t mean they are guessing, there were several remedial works completed on the runway. They have since assessed the site themselves just after it closed and confirmed themselves that there will be remedial work required which may include a complete resurfacing of the runway to satisfy the CAA as the airport will be applying for a licence as a new airport. Do any dispensation given previously will not be upheld.

Remember that the CAA are tasked with the safety of air passengers primarily and this is someting they take seriously. Costs are high for indemnity. It costs airlines £300.00 for a nut or bolt that you could pick up in B&Q for pennies, same applies to airports.


In one article by the YP it states that they have seen a report by YA that has been commissioned by LBA. It has since transpired that this is not the case, LBA apparently did not commission YA to submit a report on their behalf, they submitted their own evidence to the SAU. This needs confirmation but I understand from contacts that YA submitted it on request of the SAU.

The mechanic has recently posted a huge rant about the YA report - they’re biased and have always had it in for the airport apparently. He even calls Louise Congden a ‘gun for hire to the highest bidder’. I remember the abuse she got online when she was first interviewed regarding the closure, all of it personal. Nice.

Ryanair because they don’t want to lose passengers to competitors that are presumably forming a queue to operate from DSA.

The YP and media in general wanting it to fail.

Something tells me he’s seeing the empire crumble,

Again, YA are experts in this field and listened to by pretty much most of the UK aviation industry. What do they have to gain from making a false report for the SAU?

Wow, I’ve just seen the said post from Chadwick, it’s beyond embarrassing. He’s trying his best to incite a pile on of LBA, Ryanair and YA (Louise Congdon in particular).

What he isn’t producing is one bit of evidence or fact to prove that these people are wrong. Mainly because he can’t. He’s also tip toeing a fine line I’d suspect towards libel, especially when taking aim at one persons reputation in particular.

@rabbitfoot what do you want to actually hear in these forums? As @pug has repeatedly said, you’ve not produced one fact or bit of evidence as to why people on here are wrong? Healthy debate is about two sides producing evidence and discussing. I would take a guess you’ve come to either antagonise or report back to your superiors on the SaveDSA group.

 

What about the resurfacing work? The last major resurfacing took place in FY16/17 at a cost of £6million.

The airport will be applying for a new licence, which will be at the discretion of of the CAA and may require investment over and above what has been supposedly allocated by CDC. Some of this will include work required on the runway and taxiways but also potentially a new Tower because they believe the current one is in disrepair and does not conform to modern standards,

i thought was 2018, as they were delayed working at east midlands. i also thought it was major works not relatively superficial resurface. i known most of them, a lot from the doncaster /worksop area.
they did my favourite Caribbean airport BVI,

 

Again, YA are experts in this field and listened to by pretty much most of the UK aviation industry. What do they have to gain from making a false report for the SAU?

Wow, I’ve just seen the said post from Chadwick, it’s beyond embarrassing. He’s trying his best to incite a pile on of LBA, Ryanair and YA (Louise Congdon in particular).

What he isn’t producing is one bit of evidence or fact to prove that these people are wrong. Mainly because he can’t. He’s also tip toeing a fine line I’d suspect towards libel, especially when taking aim at one persons reputation in particular.

@rabbitfoot what do you want to actually hear in these forums? As @pug has repeatedly said, you’ve not produced one fact or bit of evidence as to why people on here are wrong? Healthy debate is about two sides producing evidence and discussing. I would take a guess you’ve come to either antagonise or report back to your superiors on the SaveDSA group.

He’s controlling the narrative again.

Peel wanted to close it once the roads were put in.

Peel charged airlines too much that’s why it never worked.

LBA are scared of losing business so they’re employing desperate bullying tactics.

Louise Congden used to work for MAG so has a long term hatred of DSA.

Ryanair don’t want airlines flying from DSA cos it’ll take passengers off their flights at LBA.

All of these have been explained as nonsense many times on here. But it screams of hollow desperation to retain momentum. The council are finally being called out, they have a lot to answer to.

i thought was 2018, as they were delayed working at east midlands. i also thought it was major works not relatively superficial resurface. i known most of them, a lot from the doncaster /worksop area.
they did my favourite Caribbean airport BVI,

No it was 2017, and it depends what you would consider a full resurface it was remedial work which could be construed as superficial which did strengthen it a little. But it was being used by heavy freight aircraft and that will have impacts on the longevity of the surface as will hot and cold spells. It’s not a once in a lifetime investment, it’s the sort of thing they have to do quite frequently and adds to the costs.

 

I would take a guess you’ve come to either antagonise or report back to your superiors on the SaveDSA group.
very childish, i can say i have never ,ever posted on his site . as regards the mechanic as refer to on here.i did meet in once/ or should i say saw. . i went to look at some land that the council had bought, and he was there. i only noticed by his van sign. i never spoke to him.

 

He’s controlling the narrative again.

Peel wanted to close it once the roads were put in.

Peel charged airlines too much that’s why it never worked.

LBA are scared of losing business so they’re employing desperate bullying tactics.

Louise Congden used to work for MAG so has a long term hatred of DSA.

Ryanair don’t want airlines flying from DSA cos it’ll take passengers off their flights at LBA.

All of these have been explained as nonsense many times on here. But it screams of hollow desperation to retain momentum. The council are finally being called out, they have a lot to answer to.


No it was 2017, and it depends what you would consider a full resurface it was remedial work which could be construed as superficial which did strengthen it a little. But it was being used by heavy freight aircraft and that will have impacts on the longevity of the surface as will hot and cold spells. It’s not a once in a lifetime investment, it’s the sort of thing they have to do quite frequently and adds to the costs.

Well the Mechanic is just digging a deeper and deeper hole for himself….not only is he now opening himself up for potential litigation he is just making himself look stupid and desperate and outside his Facebook disciples he is rapidly, along with CDC losing control of the narrative….
Quite easy for CDC to get back in front of this, publish their business plan and the analysis it’s based on……..

 

Perhaps they were commissioned by the SAU themselves. They are unlikely to do all the work themselves. It's highly likely that they will employ specialist services to do most of the investigative work and they then produce their response to the submission , which in this case highlighted the concerns raised by York Aviation , but in a 'light touch' way. There are very relevant questions to answer and we will see what happens when CDC provide those answers .......or don't, as the case may be.

What is very clear is that this report is totally rubbishing the claims made in 'selling' a reopened DSA and very much calling into question the integrity of claims made by CDC snd their original advisors.

I posted this yesterday but it still seems relevant today. I suspect the YP have got it wrong regarding LBA commissioning the YA report. I imagine that the SAU is a civil service branch and they tend to.ask for comment from their preferred consultancies/ advisors to provide a neutral view from industry experts. I don't think its any coincidence that the questions posed by the SAU (yet to be answered by CDC) reflect the main criticisms within the YA report.

 

As the cost of runway resurfacing has been questioned, I've just asked AI and this is the answer I got.

The average cost of resurfacing a runway can vary widely depending on several factors, including the size and width of the runway, the materials used, the extent of the damage, and the location. However, here are some general estimates:

The average cost of resurfacing a runway in **British pounds (GBP)** will depend on runway size, width, materials, location, etc.

1. **Small Airports (General Aviation):**
- **£410,000 to £1.64 million**

2. **Medium-Sized Airports:**
- **£1.64 million to £8.2 million**

3. **Large Airports (International):**
- **£8.2 million to £41 million or more** ..

The **lower figure** (e.g., £410,000 for small airports or £1.64 million for medium-sized airports) typically corresponds to **remedial or partial resurfacing work**, rather than a full, extensive runway reconstruction. Here's a breakdown of the differences:

---

### **1. Remedial/Partial Resurfacing:**
- **Scope:** This involves addressing specific issues such as cracks, potholes, or surface wear, rather than replacing the entire runway surface.
- **Cost Range:**
- Small airports: **£410,000 to £1 million**
- Medium airports: **£1.64 million to £4 million**
- **Typical Work:**
- Patching damaged areas.
- Applying a new surface layer (overlay) to extend the runway's life.
- Repairing drainage systems or lighting in localized areas.
- Addressing minor structural issues.

---

### **2. Full Extensive Resurfacing/Reconstruction:**
- **Scope:** This involves a complete overhaul of the runway, including removing the old surface, repairing or replacing the base layers, and applying a new surface. It may also include upgrades to drainage, lighting, and markings.
- **Cost Range:**
- Small airports: **£1 million to £1.64 million or more**
- Medium airports: **£4 million to £8.2 million or more**
- Large airports: **£8.2 million to £41 million or more**
- **Typical Work:**
- Full-depth reconstruction of the runway.
- Replacement of base layers (e.g., subbase and asphalt/concrete).
- Upgrading drainage systems, lighting, and markings.
- Ensuring compliance with the latest safety and regulatory standards.

### **Key Factors Influencing Cost:**
- **Extent of Damage:** Remedial work is cheaper but may not address underlying issues, while full resurfacing is more expensive but provides a long-term solution.
- **Runway Usage:** High-traffic runways (e.g., at international airports) may require more extensive work to meet safety and durability standards.
- **Materials:** Full resurfacing often uses higher-quality materials, increasing costs.
- **Regulatory Requirements:** Extensive work may require more rigorous testing and compliance, adding to the expense.

### **Conclusion:**
The **lower figure** is generally for **remedial or partial work**, while the **higher figure** reflects **full, extensive resurfacing or reconstruction**. For an accurate estimate, a detailed assessment of the runway's condition and requirements is necessary.