NEXT STEPS ON THE PATH TO DEVELOP SOUTH YORKSHIRE AIRPORT CITY

Published 12 February 2025 at 11:29am

At a meeting of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority Board (SYMCA) yesterday [Tuesday 11 February 2025], the Mayor and Leaders have agreed to provide £10 million to City of Doncaster Council to further develop their case to establish South Yorkshire Airport City and re-open Doncaster-Sheffield Airport.

The £10 million will be revenue funding to enable City of Doncaster Council to continue with ongoing operational activity to support the work required to make a long-term investment decision by summer 2025. This will be funded from uncommitted treasury management resource.

This proposal follows considerable activity since the November report to the SYMCA Board. Since then, City of Doncaster Council has established a wholly owned subsidiary – Fly Doncaster – and have secured Munich Airport International as their strategic partner who will support the reestablishment of operations over a multi-year period. Fly Doncaster will be staffed and run separately from City of Doncaster Council.

There has also been the publication of a report by the Subsidy Advice Unit. The Council will need to provide SYMCA with legal opinion on subsidy control compliance prior to any funding for subsidy being released.

As well as this, the Full Business Case has been revised and resubmitted to reflect the changes in the operating model. The MCA is subjecting the business case to its usual assurance processes, the conclusion of which will be presented to a future Board meeting.

More recently, in her flagship speech on economic growth on 29 January 2025, the Chancellor of the Exchequer committed to working with SYMCA and City of Doncaster Council to support their efforts on South Yorkshire Airport City and re-opening the airport, reporting in summer 2025.

These are key milestones on the journey to not just re-opening Doncaster-Sheffield Airport and creating new jobs and opportunities but realising the plans for wider economic growth at Gateway East making it a centre for advanced manufacturing and a sustainable aviation hub.

This journey is not without risk and the ambition to see flights departing from a re-opened airport in 2026 needs to be balanced against protecting the taxpayer which is why these steps are important.

South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard said:

“The Chancellor’s recent intervention and visit to Doncaster last week was a hugely welcome boost for our plans to re-open Doncaster-Sheffield Airport and create a world class sustainable aviation hub at Gateway East

“We have now committed further funds to secure our future plans as we undertake the due diligence required of a project of this scale and work up our proposals with the government with a view to taking a final decision in the summer.”