Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) will close after its owner stated that “no tangible ideas” regarding its future ownership had been received.
Peel Group cited a “fundamental lack of financial sustainability” as the reason for the closure.
Friday, South Yorkshire’s political leaders proposed using public funds to continue DSA operations into 2023.
However, Peel Group announced that services at the airport, which employs 800 people, will cease on October 31.
Oliver Coppard, the mayor of South Yorkshire, remarked that he was “devastated by today’s announcement” and outraged by the impact the closure will have on the surrounding people.
Mr. Coppard stated that hundreds of individuals in Doncaster and South Yorkshire are now “terrified for the future.”
The airport, which is utilized by Tui and Wizz Air, offers flights to the Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, Greece, Turkey, Poland, and the Baltic states.
Robert Hough, chairman of Peel Airports, acknowledged that the news of the closure will be “devastating to many.”
“The intractable problem continues to be the fundamental and inadequate absence of existing or foreseeable revenue streams, as well as the airport’s high operational costs,” he stated.
Mr. Hough expressed gratitude to the airport’s employees, whom he described as DSA’s “biggest asset”
The immediate priority, according to him, would be to “engage closely with them over the next two weeks.”
“We will do everything in our power to mitigate the impact of these proposals and will work together with local governments and agencies to support our staff during what we anticipate will be an exceptionally difficult moment,” he said.
This is a gloomy day for the newly founded city of Doncaster and the entirety of South Yorkshire.
One of the country’s greatest urban agglomerations is left without an airport.
Peel Group, the airport’s owner, maintains that the economics just do not work and that despite repeated efforts, not enough airlines are interested in making Doncaster a base. The necessary number of passengers is insufficient.
This is a blow not just to potential passengers, who lose their local airport, but also to the 800 staff who now fear unemployment in the run-up to the holiday season.
Peel has mentioned the potential worth of the land for alternative employment; many anticipate it will be warehouses and light industries, with the two-mile runway and accompanying airport infrastructure relegated to the annals of aviation history.
Peel Group stated that the provision of public funds to support DSA’s operating deficits until 2023 would have provided free cash flow to sustain losses that may have happened as Peel Group and South Yorkshire partners collaboratively examined DSA’s future possibilities.
In the absence of “real ideas to address the lack of viability of DSA,” a representative for Peel’s board stated, “it cannot accept public funds for this extremely risky procedure in the context of an unviable, loss-making running firm.”
Tui stated that it was “very upset” by the decision to close, adding that flights would continue to operate until November 4th.
Andrew Flintham, managing director of UK & Ireland, stated: “We are collaborating closely with our clients and coworkers on the necessary next measures. Shortly, affected customers will get information, and we will do everything possible to give suitable replacement opportunities to colleagues.”
Dan Fell, president of the Doncaster Chamber of Commerce, described the shutdown as “very unfortunate for Doncaster, South Yorkshire, and the northern provinces.”
“There is a tremendously generous offer of funding to keep the airport operating for a year to discover methods to retain and strengthen this unique economic asset, but this offer has been declined,” he said.
Mr. Fell lauded the “ingenuity and creativity” demonstrated by individuals who attempted to find solutions to keep the airport operational, and he stated that it “feels as if the door has been slammed in the faces of those who sought a solution in really difficult conditions.”
A representative for the Department of Transport described the decision as “very sad” for passengers and employees, adding, “We strongly encourage local leaders and Peel Group to work together to find a solution for the site that will benefit residents and the regional economy.”
