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PM supports airport reopening with £30m investment

Lucy Ashton
BBC News, South Yorkshire
Danny Lawson/PA Wire Sir Keir Starmer stands in a hangar in front of two crowds of people standing on either side of him. In the background are several twin-propeller planes, two with red and white designs, and two with blue stripes underneath.Danny Lawson/PA Wire
Sir Keir Starmer confirmed the release of £30m to help fund the reopening of the airport during a visit to Doncaster

A total of £30m is to be released by the government to support the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport, the prime minister has confirmed.

On a visit to Doncaster, Sir Keir Starmer said the previous government's decision in January 2024 to block South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard spending the regional funding to relaunch the site would be reversed.

The airport closed in 2022 and since then South Yorkshire politicians and business groups have campaigned to reopen it as a keystone of wider development plans for the region.

During Thursday's visit, Starmer said he was "really delighted" to be able to support the airport's reopening with the multimillion-pound investment.

"We are backing backing this region as a sustainable aviation hub in South Yorkshire and giving lift-off for growth here in Doncaster," Starmer said.

The announcement was made as campaigning continued for elections for a new Doncaster Mayor and Doncaster Council. A full list of candidates is available here.

There are large white letters spelling out the words Doncaster Sheffield on a wall made up of glass. There is a logo in the shape of a plane's tail with the words Robin Hood
The prime minister said on his visit to Doncaster that the continued closure of the airport was a "waste"

Opened in April 2005, Doncaster Sheffield Airport once served a host of destinations, including Berlin, Dubrovnik, Paris, Alicante and Mallorca.

However, in November 2022 all flights were grounded when then-owners Peel Group said it was no longer financially viable and mothballed the site.

Coppard previously said reopening the airport would support 5,000 jobs, boost the economy by £5bn and provide wider benefits of £2bn by 2050.

However, under the previous Conservative government, the Department for Transport refused his request to use money from the city region sustainable transport settlements for the airport.

But in January, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the Labour government would back the reopening of the airport as South Yorkshire Airport City.

Doncaster Sheffield airport, with a big glass building and wavy roof in the background, and a red and white stripped barrier and no entry sign in the foreground.
Doncaster Sheffield Airport, pictured in January, was closed in November 2022 and has lain disused since then

On Wednesday, the Ministry for Housing and Local Government said the investment announcement would enable the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) to use its devolved funding to invest in critical infrastructure.

Speaking during his visit to Doncaster, the prime minister said: "I'm really delighted to back the mayor's plans for Doncaster Airport.

"What a waste as this community has had to watch that airport sitting empty."

Starmer said the airport remaining closed for so long was not only "a huge missed opportunity", but also "a question of history, pride and place".

"It has the potential to drive growth right across the North, especially here in Doncaster," he added.

The government has established a working group with Doncaster Council and SYMCA to support local efforts to reopen the airport.

Meanwhile, Doncaster Council has established a wholly-owned subsidiary called Fly Doncaster and secured Munich Airport International as its strategic partner to support the re-establishment of operations there over a number of years.

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