UK's Doncaster Sheffield Airport set for public ownership ahead of reopening

MANCHESTER, England, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Britain's Doncaster Sheffield Airport, which closed almost four years ago but handled more than 1.4 million ​passengers in 2019, looks set to return to public ‌ownership with a view to reopening next year. South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority on Monday said its mayor and regional leaders were set ​approve a deal to buy the airport, and adjacent ​land called the Innovation Quarter, from current owners ⁠Peel Land.

Sign up here. • SYMCA plans to restore freight services from autumn ​2027 and passenger services from spring 2028, subject to regulatory ​and operational work needed to reopen the airport • The deal needs formal approval from the boards of SYMCA and Peel Land • Last year ​SYMCA approved about £160 million ($213 million)of funding for the reopening • ​SYMCA did not immediately disclose how much it would pay Peel. A ‌report ⁠to its board said the deal was "not without risk" to the taxpayer, but recommended approval • SYMCA would become freehold owner of the site • The South Yorkshire region, home to Boeing's ​first European factory, ​seeks to ⁠make the airport area a hub for sustainable aviation and advanced manufacturing • Peel closed the ​airport in November 2022, saying it had never ​made ⁠a profit, after Wizz Air pulled its based aircraft.

Peel rejected an offer of public money to cover losses for a ⁠year • ​The reopening has been repeatedly delayed. ​As recently as February 2025, local authorities were targeting passenger flights by spring ​2026 ($1 = 0.7512 pounds) Reporting by Andy Bruce; editing by Sam Tobin Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab Suggested Topics: United Kingdom X Facebook Linkedin Email Link Purchase Licensing Rights