Doncaster Sheffield Airport: Plea to protect airspace

All arrivals and departures from the airport were managed by a team of air traffic controllers

The airspace around Doncaster Sheffield Airport should be protected in case of any future reopening, the mayor of Doncaster has said.

Ros Jones called on the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to maintain space around the site as as 'controlled'.

That classification means airports are able to operate commercial flights with air traffic control.

Ms Jones said she was working so "we don't lose the airspace permanently that is currently suspended".

The current Class D airspace means pilots need to speak to controllers for permission to fly in the zone.

Since DSA stopped commercial passenger flights in November, the CAA has begun the process of downgrading the zone around the airport to Class G - the lowest level.

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The managed airspace is due elapse unless another air traffic control provider comes forward before 17 February 2023.

If no provider is found, it would be downgraded on 18 May, the CAA previously said.

Doncaster Council said this would undermine current plans to re-open the airport.

"It is one less hurdle for a new airport operator to have to negotiate and would enable the airport to re-establish itself more quickly," Ms Jones said.

The council has sent a letter to the CAA asking that the controlled airspace designation remains suspended for 12 months while negotiations are ongoing, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The airport ceased passenger flights in November 2022

Mark Chadwick, of Save Doncaster Sheffield Airport, said it was "vital" to keep the airspace as "potential buyers are still in talks over a potential purchase".

The airport closed last year after owners Peel Group cited the "financial viability" of the site.

The council and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority say they have had bids for the site rejected.

Last month, it was revealed Peel Group had proposed a potential leasehold of the site to the council.