By Locals respond to ‘ridiculous decision’ to close Doncaster Sheffield Airport
Flights at Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) will start “winding down” next month after bosses said the business had no future.
Owners Peel Group said on Monday, 26 September, that a strategic review had concluded the airport was “not viable due to its lack of adequate forward revenues and high operating costs”.
The company said flights would start winding down from 31 October. They added a consultation process will now begin with the airport staff.
The airport is thought to employ more than 800 people, with a further 2,700 jobs affected.
Chairman of Peel Airports Group Robert Hough said: “We recognise that this will come as a great disappointment to many. The intractable problem remains the fundamental and insufficient lack of current or prospective revenue streams, together with the airport’s high operating costs.
“Our employees have always been DSA’s greatest asset, and we are grateful to them all, past and present, for their dedication and diligence over the years. The immediate priority remains to continue engaging closely with them over the next few weeks.
“As such, DSA will now begin a formal process of consulting with team members. We will do everything we can to minimise the impact of these proposals and work closely with local authorities and agencies to support our employees through what we know will be an extremely difficult period
“Doncaster has a massive catchment area and is underused. If the right incentives were given to the holiday companies and air freight companies I’m sure the offer would be taken up.” One said reacting to the news.
“I believe it’s still one of the longest runways, if not the longest, in the country making it ideal for long-haul holidays. There was talk of a rail link being put in to increase footfall.” Another added.
Don Valley Conservative MP Nick Fletcher said he had contacted Number 10 and the Department for Transport over the “ridiculous decision” to shut the site, calling for the council to compulsorily purchase the land, including an inquiry into events that led to the closure.
They said said “no tangible proposals” had been received regarding its future ownership.
Mr. Fletcher said the business had refused an offer of public money to keep the airport open until a new owner could be found.
“Which business would turn down an offer of public money to cover its losses for the next 13 months while a buyer was sought to actually take the airport off their hands, give them the money that they wanted for the airport and keep their reputation intact?
“They’ve got nothing to lose so I cannot understand why this decision has been made,” he said.
The MP said a public inquiry was needed to “find out what’s happened”.
“The public inquiry will let us know how it’s failed, why it’s failed and if it does close it will help us not to make those same mistakes again.
“It will help us in the process of reopening the airport.”
Labour mayor of South Yorkshire Oliver Coppard said there was “no mechanism I’m aware of about a public inquiry”.
“Quite frankly my priority right now is for those people whose jobs whose livelihoods are so uncertain at a time when our whole economy is uncertain,” he said.
Mr. Coppard added: “airport site can only be used for aviation activity.”
He added that the authority and partners had been “working tirelessly on trying to find a solution”.
Speaking on Radio Sheffield, Sarah Barnes from the GMB union said employees were “devastated” by the closure and called on the prime minister to intervene.
“A public inquiry would be welcome, but that’s not going to save our members’ jobs at the end of next month,” she said.
“We need intervention from central government now and we need to put pressure on Peel.”
In response to the offer of a grant to keep the airport operating, Peel Group said any future proposals did not address the “lack of viability” of the site,
It added: “Peel’s Board has concluded that it cannot responsibly accept public money for this highly uncertain process against the backdrop of an unviable, loss-making operating business.”
“Time for Humberside to step up and take some routes on board, not the biggest airport but can handle some of the flights,” one hopeful said regarding the worries surrounding the opening of the airport originally.
“Doncaster airport means so much to South Yorkshire people I for one am absolutely horrified it’s going to close. The thought of going down the unpredictable M1 to East Midlands or the horrific journey to Leeds Bradford fills me with trepidation.” Another added.
“Opening this airport in the first place they ended Humberside airport the chance to develop further as it was doing and this was pointed out at the time. Unfortunately, it has come to pass and now it’s too late for Humberside to regain all that it lost.” Another added on the subject of Humberside Airport.
“Surely everyone can see the future profitability in the airport with the huge catchment area in South Yorkshire and the infrastructure already there. What a total disaster to close the obvious future potential.” Another frustrated reader said.
