Foster

The airport is expected to welcome passenger flights again in 2028

A UK airport that shut down three-and-a-half years ago is set to reopen following the resolution of a funding dispute this week. Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) near Finningley in Doncaster was once a key regional flight hub known as Robin Hood Airport, operating from 2005 with flights to holiday destinations including Alicante, Majorca, Paris, and various other locations.

However, the airport was compelled to close in 2022 after its owners, Peel Group, declared it financially “unviable”. The closure left South Yorkshire without an international airport.

Yet, in September 2025, the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) officially approved a £160million funding package based on previous commitments to reopen the airport as DSA in a significant boost for the region. Its resurrection followed campaigning by residents and local politicians, and received backing from the British Government.

Nevertheless, the scheme had been thrown into doubt in recent weeks during a deadlock over a £57million loan from Doncaster City Council to support the reopening plans, after Reform UK councillors expressed concerns about whether taxpayers would receive a return on investment.

The airport scheme was championed by the local authority’s Labour mayor, Ros Jones, who is believed to have been re-elected by a narrow margin largely owing to her commitment to delivering the potentially transformational scheme, despite a surge in support for Reform.

The structure of local Government in Doncaster means she retains executive authority as Mayor despite Reform securing a majority on the council at the last election, and now controlling the budget.

Nigel Farage’s party originally backed the airport scheme, but in April indicated they would contemplate voting to withdraw approval, as they requested additional details about how the funds would be allocated and benefit local people, reports the Express.

At the end of last month, Mr Farage attacked the terms of the lease agreement being negotiated with the current site owners, The Peel Group, arguing the council needed to secure the freehold to prevent it becoming a “massive drain” on taxpayers.

Ms Jones told the BBC News at the time: “Last week Reform said DSA should be privately funded and today they’re saying it should be acquired by the council or government, even if that means through a compulsory purchase order (CPO).

“It is important to remember we offered to buy the freehold back in 2022 and Peel refused, the offer of a lease effectively killed off any chance of a successful CPO.”

She added that a CPO application could take between five to seven years with minimal chance of succeeding. The standoff sparked concerns that the scheme would have to be scrapped, despite significant progress in attempts to prepare it for commercial air traffic once more.

However, at an extraordinary meeting of the council last week, Reform dropped its opposition to the loan on the condition that they are able to review copies of the new lease before it is approved, according to ITV News.

Ms Jones said she was “delighted to see Reform’s done the U-turn”, dismissing the threat from the hard-right party as a “political stunt”.

Freight services at the flight hub could get under way as early as next year, with passenger flights expected to launch in 2028, according to reports.

FlyDoncaster, a council-owned company established to reopen and run the airport, has teamed up with German operator Munich Airport International (MAI) on the venture.

In an update last month regarding preparatory work at the site, Christian Foster, Director of council-owned operator FlyDoncaster, said: “Over recent months we’ve been building the right team to take on this task. That has included individuals with experience at major airports such as Manchester, Gatwick and East Midlands, taking up roles like Head of Security, Head of Airfield Operations and Head of Health & Fire Safety.

“We’re also going through a critical Airspace Change Process, a regulatory hurdle that means we’ll have our own area of airspace around the airport to manage. This is critical to our plans.

“We’re due to hear the result of stages one and two imminently, and we’ll be asking the public for their views in the summer, with a view to being re-certified in spring 2027.”

He says preparations for reopening and welcoming passengers back have been well underway, which has involved acquiring “vital equipment such as a new radar and fire appliances, completely refurbishing the fire station and control tower, and making plans for renovating the terminal building”.

The terminal building is set for a “full makeover, giving passengers somewhere that feels really special at the start of their holidays”, alongside improvements to the site’s infrastructure “to make this one of the most accessible airports in the UK for those with a disability”.

On top of this, talks are ongoing with airlines and partner organisations.

Mr Foster says the airport is already equipped to handle hundreds of thousands of tonnes of freight, and is also in dialogue with firms at the forefront of aviation innovation – including sky taxis, vertiports, and alternative fuel technologies – about how these could be incorporated into the site.

Netflix has added one of the biggest British crime dramas of the 21st Century that Dr Foster fans shouldn’t miss

Netflix has finally added the fourth and final season of hit BBC thriller Killing Eve and subscribers will be ecstatic.

The wildly popular crime drama starring Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer first premiered in 2018 and became an instant success thanks to its sharp writing and addictive narrative.

It follows Grey’s Anatomy star Oh as Eve Polastri, an MI5 analyst who is tasked with surveying and capturing an unhinged assassin known as Villanelle (played by Comer).

Over the course of their electrifying cat-and-mouse chase across the globe, the hunter and the hunted develop an obsession with each other, leading to disastrous consequences.

Also starring a roster of top British and Irish screen talent, including Fiona Shaw (Andor), Edward Bluemel (Sex Education), and Gemma Whelan (Game of Thrones), as well as Danish star Kim Bodnia (F1) as Villanelle’s Russian handler Konstantin, Killing Eve is considered one of the best British shows of the 21st Century so far.

Fans of the equally beloved psychological thriller Dr Foster, starring Suranne Jones, are urged to check out the series if they haven’t already.

While both shows deal with similar themes of obsession and scandal, Dr Foster also stars Comer as Kate Parks, the young university student whom Jones’s Dr Gemma Foster suspects of having an affair with her husband, Simon (Bertie Carvel).

Killing Eve has already amassed a gigantic following over the years, so make sure you take the opportunity to catch up on the show’s gripping finale. Furthermore, Dr Foster was recently confirmed to be returning for a long-awaited third season, making this the perfect time to dive in to another thriller while fans await its return.

One Rotten Tomatoes user raved: “Totally addictive. It looks like a story line about cat and mouse. But it’s much more than that.”

Someone else exclaimed: “Chefs kiss! This show is spectacular and I still rewatch it all the time! I even showed it to my cat so she knows what good tv looks like.”

“Loved this entire series,” another said, before lamenting: “Really wish it was renewed for a 5th season.”

Watch Unchosen on Sky for free

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Sky is giving away a free Netflix subscription with its new Sky Stream TV bundles, including the £15 Essential TV plan.

This lets members watch live and on-demand TV content without a satellite dish or aerial and includes hit shows.

This includes the brand new UK drama Unchosen, starring Asa Butterfield and Christopher Eccleston.

The enthusiastic reviews continue on IMDb, where one viewer says in a 10/10 write-up: “This show had me hooked after two minutes. What sounds like a typical agent hunting serial killer, surprises with great characters, surprising turning points and amazing cast. I absolutely love every part of it.”

Another fan called it “one of the best shows you’ll ever watch”, before going on to praise the cast for giving an “out-of-this-world masterclass” in acting.

And a final viewer exclaimed: “Warning: highly addictive! Jodie Comer is so charismatic as an assassin that I would hire her to kill me! The best from TV shows that I’ve seen in ages.”

Fancy revisiting an iconic British thriller or diving into Eve and Villanelle’s twisted rivalry for the very first time? Netflix has you covered this week with all four jaw-dropping seasons.

Killing Eve is available to stream on Netflix.

With 13 medals between them, Alex ‘Tattie’ Marshall and Paul Foster lead the Scotland bowls team for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this summer.

The vastly experienced duo will link up in the men’s pairs event, which they won at Glasgow 2014.

Marshall, who has seven Commonwealth Games medals in his collection, said of his eighth selection: “It is always such an honour and privilege to be selected to represent Team Scotland at the Commonwealth Games.

“To have another opportunity to be a part of a home Games is also not lost on me, and I know that Paul and I will give it our very best to try and win a medal for the team.”

Marshall’s niece Beth Riva, who won 2025 World Championship mixed pairs gold with Jason Banks last year, joins Caroline Brown in the women’s pairs.

Banks will make his Team Scotland debut in the singles event.

Bowls Scotland announced the host nation’s squad on Tuesday, with the Commonwealth Games bowls events running from 24 July to 2 August.

For the first time in Commonwealth Games history, all of the bowls and para bowls events will be played indoors, taking place at the SEC Centre.

In the para team, Pauline Wilson, Garry Brown, Robert Barr and his director Sarah Jane Ewing are all aiming for repeat golds after topping the podium at Birmingham 2022.