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...?

 

What on Earth...?

Reform government would try to acquire Doncaster Sheffield Airport land with CPO

This appears to mark a change in policy for Reform UK, as in Barnsley Nigel Farage told reporters he wanted a “private sector solution” for DSA.

www.yorkshirepost.co.uk

Tice has just blown it.

A 'spanner' in the works for votes??

 

A 'spanner' in the works for votes??

Apart from the internal incoherence of Reform's policy, the mayor's opponents are causing massive cognitive dissonance with this, "we support reopening DSA, but..." nonsense. They might oppose that crackpot lease, but ultimately they're accepting Jones's premise that Doncaster needs an airport, that it virtually guarantees an economic miracle, and that the only question is how it's paid for. It's lunacy! They're on about spending a few hundred million pounds on a completely superfluous airport in a saturated local market. It's nothing more than an incinerator for taxpayer's money.

 

Apart from the internal incoherence of Reform's policy, the mayor's opponents are causing massive cognitive dissonance with this, "we support reopening DSA, but..." nonsense. They might oppose that crackpot lease, but ultimately they're accepting Jones's premise that Doncaster needs an airport, that it virtually guarantees an economic miracle, and that the only question is how it's paid for. It's lunacy! They're on about spending a few hundred million pounds on a completely superfluous airport in a saturated local market. It's nothing more than an incinerator for taxpayer's money.

Let them, if they can find the private sector investor willing to take the risk then let them crack on. No issue with that, I doubt they’ll find anyone particularly in this period of uncertainty but you can’t say fairer than that if someone wants to take it on. It should not and must not be the tax payer though, certainly not the Doncaster tax payer alone who takes all the risk. Doesn’t matter what Chadwick says, the information he is putting out there is false. As Gainshare hasn’t been approved, and as it appears to be in a deadlock, the money is secured by the council and by nature of that the council tax paying public of Doncaster. Some may think it’s a price worth paying, but if the council end up having to cut services. Or worse end up bankrupt, you’d see support for it turn into strong opposition pretty swiftly.

 

Let them, if they can find the private sector investor willing to take the risk then let them crack on. No issue with that, I doubt they’ll find anyone particularly in this period of uncertainty but you can’t say fairer than that if someone wants to take it on. It should not and must not be the tax payer though, certainly not the Doncaster tax payer alone who takes all the risk. Doesn’t matter what Chadwick says, the information he is putting out there is false. As Gainshare hasn’t been approved, and as it appears to be in a deadlock, the money is secured by the council and by nature of that the council tax paying public of Doncaster. Some may think it’s a price worth paying, but if the council end up having to cut services. Or worse end up bankrupt, you’d see support for it turn into strong opposition pretty swiftly.

Yes, but unless I'm putting 2 and 2 together and making 5, Tice's plan appears to be to use public funds to forcibly take the site from Peel via a CPO. In order to found an airport that is still totally surplus to requirements. It's a bit like Jones's plan only even slower, even more expensive, even more unrealistic, and even more inane. All it does is take Jones's mad lease agreement out of the equation and raise the highly theoretical possibility that the site could be sold to a private buyer. (Let's pause to reflect on the fact that it is already privately owned!)

I suspect he just held forth without thinking it through, but the "optical" problem is they're accepting the mayor's premise that the airport is unquestionably essential when it very clearly isn't. As has already been demonstrated.