Aerial view of Doncaster Sheffield Airport (Image: DSA)
A UK airport that closed 3 and a half years ago is set to reopen after a funding row was resolved this week. Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) near Finningley in Doncaster was once an important regional flight hub called Robin Hood Airport, with flights from 2005 to holiday hotspots including Alicante, Majorca, Paris, and other destinations.
But the airport was forced to close in 2022 after its owners, Peel Group, deemed it financially “unviable”. The decision left South Yorkshire without an international airport. However, in September 2025, the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) formally approved a £160million funding package built on earlier commitments to reopen the airport as DSA in a major boost for the area. Its revival came after campaigning by residents and local politicians, and was backed by the British Government.
There was a major breakthrough in the funding row this week. (Image: DSA)
Reform councils had threatened to rescind approval for a key funding package. (Image: DSA)
However, the project had been in doubt in recent weeks amid a stalemate over a £57million loan from Doncaster City Council to support the reopening efforts, after Reform UK councillors raised concerns about whether taxpayers would see a return on investment.
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The airport project was championed by the local authority’s Labour mayor, Ros Jones, who is thought to have been re-elected by a slim margin largely due to her determination to get the potentially transformational project done, despite a surge in support for Reform.
The structure of local Government in Doncaster means she maintains executive control as Mayor despite Reform winning a majority in the council in the last election, and now holding the purse strings.
Nigel Farage‘s party initially supported the airport project, but in April said they would consider voting to rescind approval, as they sought further information about how the money would be spent and benefit residents.
At the end of last month, Mr Farage criticised the terms of the lease deal being negotiated with the current owners of the site, The Peel Group, insisting the council needed to get the freehold to avoid it being a “massive drain” on taxpayers.
Commercial flights could return to DSA by 2028 (Image: DSA)
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 little prospect of succeeding. The face-off prompted fears that the project would have to be axed, despite considerable progress in efforts to get it ready for commercial air traffic once again.
But at an extraordinary meeting of the council yesterday, Reform dropped its opposition to the loan provided they’re able to see copies of the new lease before it’s greenlit, ITV News reported.
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 begin next year, with passenger flights launching in 2028, reports suggest.
FlyDoncaster, a Council-owned company formed to reopen and manage the airport, has partnered with German operator Munich Airport International (MAI) on the project.
In an update last month on the preparatory work at the site, Christian Foster, Director of the 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 they’ve also been preparing the site for reopening and welcoming back passengers, which has included purchasing “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 also getting a “full makeover, giving passengers somewhere that feels really special at the start of their holidays”, along with changes to the site’s infrastructure “to make this one of the most accessible airports in the UK for those with a disability”.
Additionally, they’re in discussions with airlines and partner organisations. Mr Foster says the airport is already primed to carry hundreds of thousands of tonnes of freight, and is also speaking with businesses working in the future of aviation, like sky taxis, vertiports, and new fuel types, about how they could be integrated into the site.