Doncaster Sheffield Airport: Council agrees 125-year lease for closed airport site

The South Yorkshire airport, which was previously run by Peel Group, closed in November 2022

Doncaster Sheffield Airport is one step closer to re-opening after the council agreed a lease for the site, Mayor of Doncaster Ros Jones has said.

The signing of the 125-year lease will help to ensure the future of the site, while an airport operator is found.

It followed a year of "detailed and complex negotiations" with landowners Peel Group, the council said.

"This is a significant day in our ambition to reopen the airport as the lease has been signed," Ms Jones said.

"This is a major step in the reopening process.

"The next is appointing an operator and investor who will manage and develop the airport."

The process to appoint an airport operator is "well under way" according to Ms Jones, who said she hoped for an announcement "later in the spring".

How did we get here?

• Doubts started around the future of the airport in July 2022 after directors said it "may no longer be commercially viable"

• The airport closed in November 2022, with owners Peel Group citing high costs

• The following month, an application for a judicial review into the closure was refused by a court

• In June 2023, South Yorkshire mayor Oliver Coppard agreed to help fund a council bid to reopen the site

• Doncaster Council voted to support the reopening in September 2023 after a report said it was "financially viable"

• Plans for an outline business case moved forward in February

Councils and politicians have worked with stakeholders to try and restart flights from the airport, which first opened commercially in 2005.

Mayor of South Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard, posted on social media that it was "great news" and called it "an important step".

Nick Fletcher, Conservative MP for Don Valley, said it was "wonderful", adding: "Onwards and upwards!"

In a joint statement, chambers of commerce from the four metropolitan boroughs of South Yorkshire said the announcement would be a "huge relief" for those "invested in this complicated situation".

"Of course, while securing a lease is a significant milestone worth celebrating, it is imperative that we do not rest on our laurels here," the statement said.

In February, South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority's board unanimously gave the go-ahead to initial proposals which would see £138m of public money made available to fund the reopening.

Another vote was expected in the summer to agree the release of the funding.