Doncaster Sheffield Airport is another step closer to reopening after the local council signed an agreement to take on a 125-year lease of the site from owner Peel Group.
Mayor of Doncaster Cllr Ros Jones described the step as a ‘significant day in our ambition to reopen the airport’.
“The next is appointing an operator and investor who will manage and develop the airport,” she said.
The council says it is confident an operator can be appointed by later this spring.
In February, South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority’s board gave the go-ahead to initial proposals for £138 million of public money to fund the reopening. A vote is expected in the summer to rubber stamp the funding.
DSA opened in May 2005 as Robin Hood Airport. Peel Group said the airport always made a loss, despite a record 1.4 million people using it in 2019. When Wizz Air pulled out in 2022, Peel said it was no longer viable.
Peel has said it welcomed the agreement with the council and would like to work with the Mayors of Doncaster and South Yorkshire to make the wider investment zone around the airport a success.
Travel journalist Simon Calder told the regional Calendar news programme that DSA could be back in business by Easter 2025, but warned the airport faced several hurdles before it reopened.
