Photo by Harrison Qi on Unsplash
The reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport is set to go ahead, after Reform representatives agreed to approve plans to allocate a £57m loan to the project.
Following the airport’s closure in 2022, central government and Doncaster Council have examined different avenues to reopen the airport. Last month, a jet landed at the airstrip for the first time in four years.
Protesters from the #saveDSA group gathered outside of the Doncaster Civic Office, which may have played an important role in swaying the decision that came to pass.
Mark Chadwick, head of the Save Doncaster Sheffield Airport Facebook page and local businessman, said: “What remains beyond doubt is the determination of those closest to the airport. Staff and teams connected to DSA simply want the opportunity to get on with the jobs they were employed to do and restore the airport to where it belongs.
“Throughout every setback and challenge, the local community has never stopped believing in the future of Doncaster Sheffield Airport.”
Mayor of South Yorkshire Oliver Coppard said: “The political theatre of today’s vote and the questions and commentary of the last few weeks have not come without cost. They have caused unnecessary delay and uncertainty.
“Big, long-term public sector investment projects of this scale require a shared sense of purpose and commitment from everyone responsible for their delivery. I can only hope that the damage done to the project by the uncertainty of the last few weeks is not significant or long-lasting.”
Doncaster Sheffield Airport is projected to open for commercial flights by 2028, with the £57m loan going towards re-opening the airstrip as early as next year.