The airport is expected to welcome passenger flights again in 2028
The airport was once a key regional flight hub known as Robin Hood Airport(Image: tupungato via Getty Images)
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.
