#FlyDSA CAMPAIGN: Time to back Doncaster Sheffield Airport to help region fly

We believe it should be the first choice for millions of holidaymakers and businesses who would pump billions into our economy.

But first we have to change hearts and minds - and banish a decades-old habit of travelling outside the region to catch a plane.

Save yourself the hassle.

Thanks to a new link road OUR airport is just 25 minutes from Sheffield city centre. And it offers 42 destinations including two international hubs that link to the world.

So it’s close, it’s easy, it’s got more choice than ever and every pound spent there boosts US and not some rival council or distant business.

But that’s just the start – our #FlyDSA campaign will focus on the airport’s vast potential. Big enough to handle a staggering 25m passengers-a-year, owners Peel want it to eventually be the biggest airport in the east of England - and rival Manchester for size.

And it has an ambitious goal of re-routing the East Coast Mainline to serve London and take the heat off an overcrowded south east.

Realistically, they say, Doncaster Sheffield Airport could boost Sheffield City Region’s economy by one-fifth, pumping £6bn into a £30bn market, creating 20,000 jobs.

The prize is “almost beyond comprehension”, according to Peel Airports chairman Robert Hough.

And Peel Group, which owns or manages 150 ports, airports, shopping centres and housing developments in the North, has a strong track record.

It built Media City in Salford Quays, Manchester, regenerating a rundown area, now home to the BBC in the North and 7,000 workers.

It has sunk £200m into converting the former RAF Finningley site and clearly has deep pockets. It is in it for the long term. But it can’t do it all alone.

Which is why it has partnered with The Star to campaign for residents, businesses, local authorities, organisations and government to get behind it in any way they can - for the benefit of all.