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...?

 

Understand both 727 are u/s at the moment.

And there would be no guarantee the 727’s would even be at DSA.. they spend there time between MME, SEN & CWL I think? Most likely HUY also

 

And there would be no guarantee the 727’s would even be at DSA.. they spend there time between MME, SEN & CWL I think? Most likely HUY also

I think if DSA reopens they’ll be amongst the first aircraft to return should they be serviceable. Point is that it’s a bit tenuous to use a thankfully rare incident fairly close by to justify the reopening of an airport for and event which 2Excel OSR wouldnt be used anyway because they don’t cover the UK. It’s that and the CLEUD stuff that apparently justifies reopening DSA and funnily enough not some large unmet demand that’s just waiting to be served by an airport.

 

I think if DSA reopens they’ll be amongst the first aircraft to return should they be serviceable. Point is that it’s a bit tenuous to use a thankfully rare incident fairly close by to justify the reopening of an airport for and event which 2Excel OSR wouldnt be used anyway because they don’t cover the UK. It’s that and the CLEUD stuff that apparently justifies reopening DSA and funnily enough not some large unmet demand that’s just waiting to be served by an airport.

They're going to be so upset aren't they, if LBA win their appeal.

 

I think if DSA reopens they’ll be amongst the first aircraft to return should they be serviceable. Point is that it’s a bit tenuous to use a thankfully rare incident fairly close by to justify the reopening of an airport for and event which 2Excel OSR wouldnt be used anyway because they don’t cover the UK. It’s that and the CLEUD stuff that apparently justifies reopening DSA and funnily enough not some large unmet demand that’s just waiting to be served by an airport.

I think the its more than a tenuous suggestion as the obvious pinch point for shipping on the East Coast is off Kent if only there was an airport with a nice big long runway it could even make a decent case for a Heathrow 3rd runway substitute if I could only think of one.

 

No one was prepared to support it with the cash needed, not even the local authority - they must have more sense down there.

 

Doncaster Sheffield Airport. It is not just business saying it!

Read about the South Yorkshire Region's Citizen's Assembly here:

LinkedIn

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

lnkd.in

"Recommendation 5: Reopen the airport [DSA] for future economic viability and sustainability and make it a leader in green aviation.
SYMCA response:
"SYMCA is working closely with City of Doncaster Council to progress proposals to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport to support economic regeneration benefits to the city and the region.
DSA has the potential to be a sustainable airport hub, with a focus on aviation-related advanced manufacturing, advanced engineering and the growing jet-zero and decarbonisation industries. This will build on recent R&D investments in Boeing and Hybrid Air Vehicles to build a thriving green aviation cluster in South Yorkshire."
The Mayor will continue to support City of Doncaster Council’s ambition to connect a re-opened airport to our public transport system as part of a wider integrated South Yorkshire transport plan.

The SY Mayor is quoted as follows:
"Expressing his support for the recommendations, Oliver Coppard, said.. The views of people right across South Yorkshire must be central to how we develop policy and take big decisions, how we tackle the big challenges in front of us and take advantage of the huge opportunities.
That’s exactly why I brought together 100 people from across South Yorkshire to take part in this pioneering Citizens’ Assembly process. Using this model, we were able to select a group that was wholly representative of South Yorkshire and therefore engage with and understand the perspectives, hopes and fears across our whole community.
These 14 recommendations, and the work of the Citizens’ Assembly, represent a different way of thinking about probably the biggest single issue we face; how we tackle climate breakdown and grasp the opportunity it presents, so we can create a South Yorkshire that's fit for the future. I'm proud that we’re making decisions in a way that challenges us to think and act differently.

What can I say. I've always been a sceptic about Citizen's Assemblies and I said so at Transport for the North. However maybe it is a way for the public to really say what matters to them. In this case - DSA.

I just cannot understand why the process for committing funding within South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority is taking so long. It must be hugely frustrating for the Doncaster Council team but they have remained reserved and professional throughout.

Opinions are my own as always.

This has been posted on LinkedIn by Peter Kennan who is now saying that not only does DSA have almost unanimous business support, but the regions citizen assembly (the principles of which he states he hasn’t always supported) have also supported the project.

This all comes back to what they are supporting and the information they have available to them. These people, Peter included, have been signing the virtues of DSA long runway and its ability to connect SY to the world. Basically they’re saying it could be a major hub that wasn’t realised under Peel because somehow the land is worth more as industrial units than it would be as a global hub,

Peter needs to realise that the opinions of business and ‘citizen assemblies’ are only as good as the information that is feeding them.

His claims that there has already been independent scrutiny of the business case are also false and misleading. The OBC which was based on a case submitted to EY and others was under the assumption that the private sector would take the lead on this. They haven’t. So with that in mind, and the doubts that have been raised elsewhere including by the Councils own external auditors, the SYMCA mayor must cover his own back side by commissioning independent scrutiny on the final business case, you know the one in which CDC will take ALL of the risk because the private sector clearly didn’t agree with the original business case!

This is what’s missing, nobody is challenging assumptions. I’d like to see Peter answer the simple question, if Peel couldn’t do it (given the reason they’d want it to work as outlined above) then why will CDC be able to do any better?

 

This has been posted on LinkedIn by Peter Kennan who is now saying that not only does DSA have almost unanimous business support, but the regions citizen assembly (the principles of which he states he hasn’t always supported) have also supported the project.

This all comes back to what they are supporting and the information they have available to them. These people, Peter included, have been signing the virtues of DSA long runway and its ability to connect SY to the world. Basically they’re saying it could be a major hub that wasn’t realised under Peel because somehow the land is worth more as industrial units than it would be as a global hub,

Peter needs to realise that the opinions of business and ‘citizen assemblies’ are only as good as the information that is feeding them.

His claims that there has already been independent scrutiny of the business case are also false and misleading. The OBC which was based on a case submitted to EY and others was under the assumption that the private sector would take the lead on this. They haven’t. So with that in mind, and the doubts that have been raised elsewhere including by the Councils own external auditors, the SYMCA mayor must cover his own back side by commissioning independent scrutiny on the final business case, you know the one in which CDC will take ALL of the risk because the private sector clearly didn’t agree with the original business case!

This is what’s missing, nobody is challenging assumptions. I’d like to see Peter answer the simple question, if Peel couldn’t do it (given the reason they’d want it to work as outlined above) then why will CDC be able to do any better?

I noticed that 'Now then' magazine investigated the Citizens Assembly that came up with backing for the airport which was some time ago. Granted the article had a somewhat anti-airport bias, they reported that the assembly had not been given any informative papers relating to the airport and the expert speaker on aviation/sustainable aviation etc. was a Mr Chadwick. He was clearly cornered with probably harsh questioning and admitted that he had no experience in the subject. It seems very highly likely that this assembly of the local business leaders and citizens have not had sight of the latest version of the FBC upon which to make up their mind. Perhaps the business leaders are rapidly trying to establish links in Benidorm, Majorca, Rhodes etc. in order to evidence business connectivity.
The gentleman might understand better why the funding is being delayed and independent scrutiny deemed necessary if he had seen a copy of the FBC final version with no private capital involved?
I wonder if it is every going to emerge for the folk of Doncaster to view?? From a few comments I have seen the revelation of the amount of annual lease payments has come as a surprise and add to that the payment to MAI and I suppose FlyPlymouth (who are not doing whatever it is they are doing for free) and it's adding up to a significant monthly sum regardless as to whether any aircraft wheels touch the tarmac. That's politics!

 

I noticed that 'Now then' magazine investigated the Citizens Assembly that came up with backing for the airport which was some time ago. Granted the article had a somewhat anti-airport bias, they reported that the assembly had not been given any informative papers relating to the airport and the expert speaker on aviation/sustainable aviation etc. was a Mr Chadwick. He was clearly cornered with probably harsh questioning and admitted that he had no experience in the subject. It seems very highly likely that this assembly of the local business leaders and citizens have not had sight of the latest version of the FBC upon which to make up their mind. Perhaps the business leaders are rapidly trying to establish links in Benidorm, Majorca, Rhodes etc. in order to evidence business connectivity.
The gentleman might understand better why the funding is being delayed and independent scrutiny deemed necessary if he had seen a copy of the FBC final version with no private capital involved?
I wonder if it is every going to emerge for the folk of Doncaster to view?? From a few comments I have seen the revelation of the amount of annual lease payments has come as a surprise and add to that the payment to MAI and I suppose FlyPlymouth (who are not doing whatever it is they are doing for free) and it's adding up to a significant monthly sum regardless as to whether any aircraft wheels touch the tarmac. That's politics!

You raise some great points. I think the costs are starting to hit home a bit, but seeing news articles posted around where they are misconstruing the statements from people like Christian Foster (who has zero business acumen let alone aviation) stating that the airport will want 4-5 airlines operating ‘unlike last time’ as some sort of thinly veiled dig at Peel for apparently being idiots in only wanting one or two airlines flying from there.. This gets read as the airport WILL have 4 to 5 airlines flying from it and thousands of comments of who people want those airlines to be. Chadwick is as guilty of this as anyone. This couldn’t be further from reality, Peel wanted lots of airlines but as anyone involved in those sort of discussions from an airport POV will tell you, growth has to be sustainable. The market is already thin at DSA so trying to incite an airport driven price war between airlines operating from it would be the death knell for the airport too!! Trust me, this is a concern and it was recently stated by a very high level airline exec in a presentation I attended.

What Peel did was try to attain sustainable growth by entering into airline agreements that would bring volume. To get airlines to the table they were forced to incentivise to cumulative £millions which underwrote losses and make it an attractive proposition in face of stiff competition. This is NOT a Peel quirk, it happens at all regional airports in the U.K.

What I wonder is whether someting like a weekly BH air flight to Bulgaria would be classed as one of the 4-5 airlines? Foster was quoted on ITV last night as saying that TUI and Wizz are targets who he believes want to return. He will not be able to pick up on nuances and is blinded by his 100% faith in DSA being a success, as are the rest of them. That is politics.

i attended the barnsley assembly and took part in a q and a session where i spoke of the benefits a reopened dsa could bring and compared it to the proposed 3rd runway at heathrow, along with the effect that proposed project would have on the environment with all the building work and disruption, compared to reopening our mothballed airport here in doncaster.

Chadwick’s own words in response to the earlier post by Kennan regarding his input to the Citizens Assembly. See this is the problem, what has he actually told them? Car mechanic from Doncaster tells people in Barnsley that the airport at DSA (which closed due fundamental lack of viability) should be the replacement for a 3rd runway at Heathrow. If people are believing this rubbish there’s no wonder they’d support the reopening.

 

You raise some great points. I think the costs are starting to hit home a bit, but seeing news articles posted around where they are misconstruing the statements from people like Christian Foster (who has zero business acumen let alone aviation) stating that the airport will want 4-5 airlines operating ‘unlike last time’ as some sort of thinly veiled dig at Peel for apparently being idiots in only wanting one or two airlines flying from there.. This gets read as the airport WILL have 4 to 5 airlines flying from it and thousands of comments of who people want those airlines to be. Chadwick is as guilty of this as anyone. This couldn’t be further from reality, Peel wanted lots of airlines but as anyone involved in those sort of discussions from an airport POV will tell you, growth has to be sustainable. The market is already thin at DSA so trying to incite an airport driven price war between airlines operating from it would be the death knell for the airport too!! Trust me, this is a concern and it was recently stated by a very high level airline exec in a presentation I attended.

What Peel did was try to attain sustainable growth by entering into airline agreements that would bring volume. To get airlines to the table they were forced to incentivise to cumulative £millions which underwrote losses and make it an attractive proposition in face of stiff competition. This is NOT a Peel quirk, it happens at all regional airports in the U.K.

What I wonder is whether someting like a weekly BH air flight to Bulgaria would be classed as one of the 4-5 airlines? Foster was quoted on ITV last night as saying that TUI and Wizz are targets who he believes want to return. He will not be able to pick up on nuances and is blinded by his 100% faith in DSA being a success, as are the rest of them. That is politics.


Chadwick’s own words in response to the earlier post by Kennan regarding his input to the Citizens Assembly. See this is the problem, what has he actually told them? Car mechanic from Doncaster tells people in Barnsley that the airport at DSA (which closed due fundamental lack of viability) should be the replacement for a 3rd runway at Heathrow. If people are believing this rubbish there’s no wonder they’d support the reopening.

Key words there.. "Believe they want to return" on what merit?"
Does he know? nope.

Tui return? Likely. But in what form? not what it was before.

Wizz return? from what has been reported.. Nope they're happy at LBA.. so now what?

Like Pug said a weekly BH air maybe? right, so nothing that wasn't there last time.

Anything realistic that hasn't operated or hasn't tried before? I highly highly doubt.

Chadwick's people rubbishing MOL comments.. the man who has one of the most successful airlines in the world. Take note people..
Saying they wouldn't even want Ryanair.. absolute comical, they're the exact airline you want in.

 

Speaking of Christian Foster;

I think you’ll all agree, a clear statement of intent there. TUI and easyjet, they need to work towards attracting easyjet before they get too entrenched at ‘other airports’. A coincidence that LBA regen should be finished by 2026?

Also this;

No questions actually answered. Heathrow freight has no bearing on DSA freight. It’ll just go to STN…

 

Speaking of Christian Foster;

I think you’ll all agree, a clear statement of intent there. TUI and easyjet, they need to work towards attracting easyjet before they get too entrenched at ‘other airports’. A coincidence that LBA regen should be finished by 2026?

Also this;

No questions actually answered. Heathrow freight has no bearing on DSA freight. It’ll just go to STN…

The same easyJet that tried tested and pulled out of DSA.. right interesting.. TUI, so who’s the other 4 then.. Can’t see easyJet going near it with how they are slowly building LBA. (Like they did with BHX, before they based).

Back to my last point on my previous post, Ryanair’s warning should send shivers around other airlines.. MOL wasn't just saying it for the laugh.

 

The same easyJet that tried tested and pulled out of DSA.. right interesting.. TUI, so who’s the other 4 then.. Can’t see easyJet going near it with how they are slowly building LBA. (Like they did with BHX, before they based).

Back to my last point on my previous post, Ryanair’s warning should send shivers around other airlines.. MOL wasn't just saying it for the laugh.

He wasn’t but in the interests of fairness it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that easyjet could take a fresh look at it now that the airport is supposedly starting from a clean slate, they have very little Yorkshire coverage and the road links are now in when they weren’t when they tried it before. I’m not convinced it changes much, look at Flybe and Wizz, but if they took it seriously there is no reason why they couldn’t carve out a decent market there but it would have to be at the expense of LBA..

Like I say, I’m not convinced but I’m sure they’re making positive noises if only to drive a harder bargain with LBA..

 

Speaking of Christian Foster;

I think you’ll all agree, a clear statement of intent there. TUI and easyjet, they need to work towards attracting easyjet before they get too entrenched at ‘other airports’. A coincidence that LBA regen should be finished by 2026?

Also this;

No questions actually answered. Heathrow freight has no bearing on DSA freight. It’ll just go to STN…

As an eloquent member of my former management team would say in relation to these video snippets “what a load of waffley bxllxxks” Christian Foster just throws out soundbites without answering any of the questions - the mayor sits there gormless and nobody challenges or holds him to account and allows him to spout nonsense and not actually answer the question……what on earth is he taking about when quizzed why the airport would be a success this time talking around sustainability and primary schools?? How about actually answering the question Foster and stating what exactly are the team going to do differently to the Peel management team and what is he going to do to minimise the commercial risk to the tax payer of the airport suffering a similar fate to before? How is he going to minimise the key commercial risks and what mitigations has he put in place? What are the KPIs to make sure the programme succeeds and now is he measuring and reporting in them??
Does he really think DSA is going to nip in and take LHRs cargo before a third runway is constructed - news for him EMA is already there and expanding…..
As for EasyJet - I know for fact it aint happening!

As a tax payer this is painful watching - how on earth do they get away with it? These folks would not survive for one minute in a commercial organisation where they would be actually held to account and pulled up on what they are saying - clearly shows why our public sector is in the state it is…….After watching this I’d be even more fearful about DSA…….

 

His point about airspace is a bit of a catch 22. Which comes first?? Unlikely to get any without sufficient CAT movements unless the political mafia can overturn the CAA procedures and rules. On the other hand airlines would probably want to see it in place in this increasingly risk averse environment. The target of spring 2026 looks increasingly unlikely for passenger movements as he seems to have fathomed (or been told from the horses mouth) that airlines will not commit until it's open and that may take at least a further year - maybe two! And all that time the lease and consultants fees continue to accumulate.
As for WIZZ maybe the UK arm might fancy another punt with new management and venture back up north with a 'free bee' deal if their parent company stay at Leeds?

 

He wasn’t but in the interests of fairness it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that easyjet could take a fresh look at it now that the airport is supposedly starting from a clean slate, they have very little Yorkshire coverage and the road links are now in when they weren’t when they tried it before. I’m not convinced it changes much, look at Flybe and Wizz, but if they took it seriously there is no reason why they couldn’t carve out a decent market there but it would have to be at the expense of LBA..

Like I say, I’m not convinced but I’m sure they’re making positive noises if only to drive a harder bargain with LBA..

Fair point and with easyJet holidays, they're different to what they was when they operated a base from DSA last time.

Personally can not see it at all, Snackbar raises some good points as does GolfFox.

Time is ticking, Spring 2026 will be here before you know it.

TUI doesn't even have sufficient AC for a base, would they lease 2/3 expensive ACMI AC for a risk of this base not happening or opening on time? you would like to think no.

 

Fair point and with easyJet holidays, they're different to what they was when they operated a base from DSA last time.

Personally can not see it at all, Snackbar raises some good points as does GolfFox.

Time is ticking, Spring 2026 will be here before you know it.

TUI doesn't even have sufficient AC for a base, would they lease 2/3 expensive ACMI AC for a risk of this base not happening or opening on time? you would like to think no.

I just don't see it happening for DSA at all. I can understand the aspirations of Doncaster Council wanting to join the big boys after gaining their city status, but unfortunately that isn't enough and it just isn't how the aviation industry works.

Other airports have fallen fowl of their aspirations in much the same way with airports from top to the bottom struggling to achieve their goal.

London Gatwick, permanently in the shadows of Heathrow London's largest airport has struggled to gain any serious intercontinental traffic and it relies heavily on European holiday traffic. Similarly to Gatwick, Manchester has lost many intercontinental routes over the years and it also relies heavily on European traffic.

Further down the pecking order, Birmingham extended it's runway to try to tap into the intercontinental market but it has struggled to make any significant inroads securing only a handful of the operators it seeks.

Lower down the pecking order again, Glasgow has lost much of its intercontinental traffic to neighbouring Edinburgh airport in the Capital of Scotland. Newcastle in it's uniqueness due to it's location situated a good distance away from competing airports it has managed to secure Emirates which is supposedly performing well. Despite the positivity on the intercontinental front the airport lost it's EasyJet base largely due to competition from Jet2 in what is generally quite a limited market.

Further down the pecking order again, Leeds Bradford has struggled for decades to claw back passengers out of its own traditional catchments area from neighbouring Manchester. Over many decades the airport has seen a runway extension and the relaxation of night flying rules but it has only seen a gradual increase in flights from the airport.

Further down again, Southampton and Bournemouth competing airports on the south coast have struggled to gain new flights with only modest growth. Southampton recently extended its runway but it remains to be seen whether this will be enough to entice more airlines to the airport.

So where does Doncaster fit in to all this, or does it even have a space to fit into? As far as I can see, the answer is no. Manchester, its large neighbour to the west is just too big to enable the slack to allow growth in the east from a new airport. This isn't a theory, it is a proven fact as we have seen the impact Manchester airport has had on neighbouring Leeds Bradford and even Birmingham and Manchester airports own sister airport in Nottingham.

Airports such Luton and Leeds Bradford have claimed smaller longer ranged aircraft namely the A321XLR aircraft will open new possibilities on mid haul destinations. So it's clearly a target and emerging growth area for airports wishing to compete with larger neighbouring airports. There isn't any emerging growth areas in the European market for start-up airports or for airports reopening.

 

I just don't see it happening for DSA at all. I can understand the aspirations of Doncaster Council wanting to join the big boys after gaining their city status, but unfortunately that isn't enough and it just isn't how the aviation industry works.

Other airports have fallen fowl of their aspirations in much the same way with airports from top to the bottom struggling to achieve their goal.

London Gatwick, permanently in the shadows of Heathrow London's largest airport has struggled to gain any serious intercontinental traffic and it relies heavily on European holiday traffic. Similarly to Gatwick, Manchester has lost many intercontinental routes over the years and it also relies heavily on European traffic.

Further down the pecking order, Birmingham extended it's runway to try to tap into the intercontinental market but it has struggled to make any significant inroads securing only a handful of the operators it seeks.

Lower down the pecking order again, Glasgow has lost much of its intercontinental traffic to neighbouring Edinburgh airport in the Capital of Scotland. Newcastle in it's uniqueness due to it's location situated a good distance away from competing airports it has managed to secure Emirates which is supposedly performing well. Despite the positivity on the intercontinental front the airport lost it's EasyJet base largely due to competition from Jet2 in what is generally quite a limited market.

Further down the pecking order again, Leeds Bradford has struggled for decades to claw back passengers out of its own traditional catchments area from neighbouring Manchester. Over many decades the airport has seen a runway extension and the relaxation of night flying rules but it has only seen a gradual increase in flights from the airport.

Further down again, Southampton and Bournemouth competing airports on the south coast have struggled to gain new flights with only modest growth. Southampton recently extended its runway but it remains to be seen whether this will be enough to entice more airlines to the airport.

So where does Doncaster fit in to all this, or does it even have a space to fit into? As far as I can see, the answer is no. Manchester, its large neighbour to the west is just too big to enable the slack to allow growth in the east from a new airport. This isn't a theory, it is a proven fact as we have seen the impact Manchester airport has had on neighbouring Leeds Bradford and even Birmingham and Manchester airports own sister airport in Nottingham.

Airports such Luton and Leeds Bradford have claimed smaller longer ranged aircraft namely the A321XLR aircraft will open new possibilities on mid haul destinations. So it's clearly a target and emerging growth area for airports wishing to compete with larger neighbouring airports. There isn't any emerging growth areas in the European market for start-up airports or for airports reopening.

Jacobs are their aviation advisors according to Christian, Cyrrus are just doing the airspace work

 

Jacobs are their aviation advisors according to Christian, Cyrrus are just doing the airspace work

Are or were? Some of the consultant work they have commissioned is up to 2 years old now.

 

Jacobs are their aviation advisors according to Christian, Cyrrus are just doing the airspace work

Irrespective of who is doing what to try to reopen Doncaster airport, it wont alter the outcome. I don't necessarily think the airport wont reopen, but what I do think is it wont succeed as a business. As I explained in my previous post, Manchester airport is so effective at serving the Yorkshire region it wont impact the outcome of a reopened Doncaster airport. That is my prediction even in a scenario where Leeds growth is curtailed due to council imposed restrictions. Remember also that Nottingham has no restrictions.

Also what nobody seems to be considering is the geopolitical situation with Russia and Ukraine. The ever changing unpredictability of the US political situation along with China and North Korea in the mix too. At home we have an unstable economy caused by all the global uncertainty with all the associated pressures on job security and running costs for businesses. We also have a government which is likely to need to increase military spending substantially to deter any would-be aggressor putting further pressure on public spending.

This definitely isn't the right time to be opening new airports and there definitely isn't the appetite provide stability for airline growth not now and for the foreseeable. The challenges the airline industry faces are only exacerbated by environmental pressures to use eco fuels and other sustainable measures.

 

Irrespective of who is doing what to try to reopen Doncaster airport, it wont alter the outcome. I don't necessarily think the airport wont reopen, but what I do think is it wont succeed as a business. As I explained in my previous post, Manchester airport is so effective at serving the Yorkshire region it wont impact the outcome of a reopened Doncaster airport. That is my prediction even in a scenario where Leeds growth is curtailed due to council imposed restrictions. Remember also that Nottingham has no restrictions.

Also what nobody seems to be considering is the geopolitical situation with Russia and Ukraine. The ever changing unpredictability of the US political situation along with China and North Korea in the mix too. At home we have an unstable economy caused by all the global uncertainty with all the associated pressures on job security and running costs for businesses. We also have a government which is likely to need to increase military spending substantially to deter any would-be aggressor putting further pressure on public spending.

This definitely isn't the right time to be opening new airports and there definitely isn't the appetite provide stability for airline growth not now and for the foreseeable. The challenges the airline industry faces are only exacerbated by environmental pressures to use eco fuels and other sustainable measures.

Not only this but how long have Jacob’s been involved in it and are they still involved in it? Chadwick posted about some event he was invited to at DSA yesterday which included ‘the MD of Munich Airport’, FP Airports and some bloke who runs a Facebook page about airports. Lots of exciting stuff talked about apparently (but he can’t tell anyone what) and reckons the Transport Secretary can still call in the ACP - even though it doesn’t qualify for call in.

Jacob’s may have helped compile an outline plan, doubt they’re still involved. Some people from Jacob’s aviation arm used to work at York Aviation…