Airport bosses welcome consultation responses

News imageLDRS An image of Doncaster Sheffield Airport terminal building. A glass covered building with a waved roof and with a sign saying Doncaster Sheffield in whiteLDRS
Proposals could see passenger flights return to Doncaster Sheffield Airport in 2028

Well over 1,000 people have so far shared their views on proposed changes to the airspace around Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA), the company behind its planned reopening has revealed.

Top officials at Fly Doncaster Ltd are said to be "very pleased" at the high engagement with an ongoing consultation into the plans.

The firm is seeking to have controlled airspace re-instated at DSA, as well as the introduction of new arrival and departure routes for passenger flights and cargo.

Christian Foster, director of the city council-owned company which would operate DSA, said the views would help to refine the plans, adding it was "a genuine chance for stakeholders and the public to have their say".

"Over the coming weeks, we'll continue to meet with people in-person and online, to talk about this Airport Change Proposal and answer any questions," Foster said.

News imageRed and white Boeing 727 aeroplane branded 'Oil Spill Response' at Doncaster Sheffield Airport, with two men in hi-vis jackets descending the steps.
In April, a Boeing 727 was the first large jet to land at DSA since the airport closed in November 2022

Three in-person consultation events have so far been completed, helping generate 1,175 responses by the end of August 2026, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Two further sessions in Thorne and Doncaster city centre are due to be held later this month.

Documents about the proposal can also be viewed at a number of sites across the city, including the Danum Gallery and Civic Offices.

The proposals have been lodged with the Civil Aviation Authority, with a decision on DSA's airspace expected next May.

Doncaster Council has previously insisted this would not affect its plans for cargo flights to take off by the end of this year, as "one or two" operators could fly from the site without controlled airspace.

The future of the reopening remains uncertain, however.

The council has been renegotiating the lease of the site with airport landowners Peel and no details have been released yet as to whether a deal has been reached.

Councillors were told in June that the reopening could "run out of money" by this month.

A total of £160m in funding from South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority is dependent on successful lease renegotiation.

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