Fresh hopes for Doncaster Sheffield airport reopening after £138m of taxpayers money unlocked
The reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport has taken a "massive step forward" according to South Yorkshire's Mayor, after it was agreed to unlock millions of pounds of taxpayers' money to help pay for it.
On Tuesday morning (13 February), the South Yorkshire Mayoral Authority agreed to make £138 million available to City of Doncaster Council to enable them to lease back the airport from its owners, Peel Group.
In a meeting of the Mayoral Authority, South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard said 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."
Ros Jones, the Mayor of Doncaster said the airport could support 5,000 direct jobs and 6,000 indirect jobs, while boosting the economy by anywhere between £1 billion and £2.3 billion.
She added that the council's negotiations with Peel are making "considerable progress" and that she was "extremely hopeful we will be able to agree a deal" to lease back the airport site from its owners, with the aim of appointing an operator in the spring.
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