Hope for Doncaster Sheffield Airport reopening after council agrees lease

Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, said the 125-year lease would help to ensure the future of the airport site with an ambition to return planes to the skies from the city.  The announcement follows over a year of detailed and complex negotiations with landowner, Peel Group.

Following the lease agreement, the council must appoint an airport operator to manage the operational airport. “This is a significant day in our ambition to reopen the airport as the lease has been signed,” said Mayor Jones.  “I was determined to find a way to secure the future of aviation in Doncaster and this agreement helps us along the way to reopening our airport and seeing planes taking off once again.

“This is a major step in the reopening process. The next is appointing an operator and investor who will manage and develop the airport. This process is well underway and I am optimistic that I can announce a partnership later in the spring.

“I would like to personally thank council officers who have worked tirelessly with great dedication, insight, determination and skill to get us to where we are today. This has been no mean feat. Let’s look forward to the future with an airport that will help boost the economic and growth fortunes of our city, South Yorkshire and the North.

A spokesperson for the Peel Group said: “We are pleased to have reached agreement with the City of Doncaster Council today. The Airport forms part of the much larger Gateway East initiative – one of the most significant regeneration and development opportunities in the UK and we look forward to working in partnership together with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and City of Doncaster Council to jointly deliver the aspirations of the recently announced Investment Zone and beyond.”

The lease signing forms part of the South Yorkshire Airport City programme which City of Doncaster Council put in place dedicated to working towards reopening the airport. The programme covers all the technical, legal, procurement and financial work necessary to progress securing the site and preparing essential requirements ahead of a partnership with an operator. The programme is not the name of the airport which would be determined at a future date.