It looks like Doncaster Sheffield Airport is one step closer to reopening after the council has agreed a lease for the sits, according to the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones. The 125-year lease ensures the future of the site.
The hunt for an airport operator is “well under way”, and the council say the agreement followed a year of “detailed and complex negotiations” with landowners Peel Group.
Ms Jones said: “This is a significant day in our ambition to reopen the airport as the lease has been signed. This is a major step in the reopening process. The next is appointing an operator and investor who will manage and develop the airport.”
Ms Jones hopes for an announcement with regards to an operator later in the spring. The airport was closed by owners who cited high costs.
Is was announced last month that the South Yorkshire Combined Authority’s board had given the go-ahead for initial proposals which would see £138m of public money, which is Doncaster’s share of the devolution funds, made available for the reopening.
At the time the Mayoral Authority, South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard said that his first responsibility was to make sure “taxpayers are getting a good deal.”
“I’ve got every confidence that with the right operator, DSA should thrive. It’s got a huge asset in terms of the runway, the terminal is great, there are hangars there that could be part of a wider project around the sustainable aviation hub.
“That’s part of that wider South Yorkshire Airport City, about jobs and growth and opportunity for the whole of South Yorkshire.”
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